Keys to Her Heart
by MamaBearKat
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia has always done precisely what was expected of her. After growing up in a loveless family, she finally has the confidence to reach out on her own to achieve her dreams, and has no time for distractions. But why does this pink haired distraction feel so right? Modern AU, mostly romance, supernatural themes. Rated M for Natsu's firey language and eventual lemon.
1. A Plain Silver Key

Lucy Heartfilia glanced up from signing the cheque to find the real estate agent leering at her… again. She disguised her distaste with some difficulty, and handed the cheque to him over the desk. Mr Everlue's fingers brushed against hers as he took it from her, putting it into his pocket.

"So, what did you say brought you up to the mountains for a month my dear? A romantic interlude perhaps?" He leaned over his desk towards her and winked in a conspiratorial way. Lucy looked at him uncomfortably, shifting in her seat.

"I didn't say, Mr. Everlue", she said raising her chin in a defiant gesture, but trying for a pleasant tone. Just because he was behaving poorly didn't mean she had to. "I'll be working."

"Ah, that's right, the book, on… bushrangers, did you say? And please, call me Duke, all my friends do", he said with what he probably thought was a winning smile, preening his dark moustache with a fat forefinger.

Lucy fought back an impulse to lean further back in her seat, wondering if it would be rude to turn and march out of the office immediately. There was something about this man that made her feel inherently uneasy. But she needed to stay in Rose Cottage for her research, and this slimy man was the managing agent. Turning her gaze around the office, she caught the sympathetic gaze of the pink-haired receptionist on the front counter, and immediately felt a little better.

"That's right. Well, if that's everything Mr Everlue, I really need to be going", she said, placing a slight emphasis on his name. She felt a small moment of petty victory at his irritated expression that she hadn't jumped at the chance to use his first name. Reaching down next to the seat, she slung her backpack over her shoulder. "I still need to drive the rest of the way up the mountain before it gets dark."

"That is very advisable, my dear. My offer to escort you is still open, if you're unsure…"

"It's not a problem", Lucy replied hurriedly, rising from her seat. "I'm sure I'll manage."

He handed her a small bunch of keys. "Well, you can't say I didn't try", he smirked. "And you have my business card."

"And I'll be sure to call you if there are any problems", she answered, turning to leave, and then froze as she felt a touch on her arm.

"You might change your mind after spending a few nights up there alone. I'm told the cottage is decidedly… spooky… after dark. You might need some company. Who knows what might be up there, lurking, just…

Lucy turned her gaze toward him and fixed him with an icy glare. He had the decency to look a little abashed, removing his hand from her shoulder.

"I stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago, Mr Everlue. If you'll excuse me, I have a lot to do."

She turned, giving a brief nod to the receptionist, and walked briskly out of the office, the bell on the shop door tinkling merrily as it closed behind her. Lucy caught a momentary glimpse of her reflection in the real estate shop window. Her long golden hair was still confined in the thick braid she had put it in this morning, and her old leather jacket, checked buttoned shirt, jeans and boots, although clean, were looking decidedly scruffy. Her round, plain glasses magnified her brown eyes in her pale face, which were currently narrowed in an annoyed expression. Mr Everlue chose that moment to give her a final wave, wriggling his fingers coyly at her, which did not improve her mood.

Lucy hurriedly swung her body around, ready to put some distance between her and this creep and relieve some aggression by stomping back to her car, and slammed straight into something tall and solid. She fell awkwardly, hitting the cement path with thump, her breath knocked from her lungs and her glasses dislodged from her face. There was nothing she could do but sit on the ground like an open-mouthed fish, trying to gasp in oxygen.

"Are you alright?" a gravelly male voice asked. A blurry face appeared in front of her, and she felt someone kneel next to her, rubbing her back, trying to help. "This ain't an asthma attack, is it?"

Lucy shook her head dumbly, still frantically trying to draw in breath, and finally managed it, making a most unladylike whooping sound as she did so. She moved her hands around beside her, trying to find her glasses, and her hand came to rest on a muscular leg clad in faded jeans. She felt her glasses being put into her hand by one much larger and warmer than her own.

Sliding her glasses onto her face, she focused on the greenest eyes she had ever seen. They seemed like they would usually be crinkled in enjoyment and laughter, even though at the moment they were narrowed in concern. The rest of the face was equally striking, with high cheekbones covered in tanned skin, a generous mouth, and an unruly shock of dark pink hair. The owner of the face was still rubbing her back, and now that she was breathing, she felt a wave of embarrassment begin to wash upwards from her toes. Why was she always so clumsy!

"I'm fine", she snapped, trying to get to her feet quickly, a little too quickly. She lurched sideways, and the owner of the green eyes rose quickly and steadied her with his hands on her upper arms. She found herself staring directly at his broad chest, and had to tilt her head to look up into his face. Her stomach did a little flip flop, as his mouth curved into a wide smile, one that went all the way up to his eyes.

"You don't sound fine. Are you sure you're not hurt anywhere?", he said gently. She took a deep breath, and after trying to smile back unsuccessfully, shook her head, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. She'd been in the mountains for fifteen minutes and had already managed to look like a total klutz in front of the most attractive man she had ever seen.

His piercing gaze seemed to scorch her, increasing the turbulent feeling in her stomach, and she turned her gaze aside, only to rest on the taut muscles of his arms underneath his grey t-shirt where they had flexed to steady her. She idly wondered what it would feel like to be pulled into an embrace inside those arms, to have someone else's strength to depend on. She immediately gave herself a mental slap and looked away, down towards her own scuffed boots. ' _For heaven's sake, pull yourself together Lucy, what are you, a love-sick teenager!_ ' she thought, and said aloud, "I'm sorry, I was in a hurry to get somewhere, and I just wasn't looking where I was going. Thank you very much for your help."

Green eyes dipped his head downwards, trying to catch her eye, and continuing to smile, said "It was my pleasure". He took her small hand in his own and shook it briefly, and then continued on his way up the hill, whistling cheerfully, his hands resting nonchalantly behind his head.

It took all Lucy's self-control not to turn around immediately to see if the view of him from behind lived up to the one at the front. After a few moments, she gave up the struggle and turned. She was rewarded with the view of dark pink tousled hair, wide shoulders, a narrow waist and muscular legs which seemed made to wear blue jeans. His stride was purposeful, but unhurried, and she allowed herself the pleasure of watching him for a few moments before a movement of his head made her quickly turn and scurry in the opposite direction.

Just because he was built like a statue of a Greek god didn't give her the right to stare at him, like a piece of marble in a museum. And he was definitely _not_ made of marble. She remembered the warmth of his thigh underneath her hand, the way his hands had firmly rubbed her back, and how warm his fingers had felt when they'd briefly clasped her own. Oh, and that smile… She gave herself a mental shake; she had no time for romance, even if he _was_ interested. And of course, he wouldn't be. Beautiful people like him were never interested in her. She was the good girl. Bookish, polite Lucy Heartfilia, who always kept her head down, and never did anything unexpected.

She continued down to the corner, where she had parked her battered pale blue Volkswagen beetle. A large furry white head with pale blue eyes was hanging out of the back window, and she could hear a strong curved tail beating a happy wagging rhythm against the cardboard box of groceries in the back seat.

Her husky Plue gave a short sharp bark of approval that she was back, and did his best to wriggle his excitement within the confines of his dog car harness. She hopped into the front seat, and couldn't help turning to smile at him. When she had picked him up at the pound only two short years ago, he had been a tiny white ball of fluff, shivering in fear. Now he was a rambunctious ball of furry energy that constantly kept her on her toes. Life with a dog as big as Plue was never dull.

"Ok, boy, time to hit the road. Straight up the mountain, no pit stops until we get there. Rose Cottage, here we come, ready or not". She glanced over her shoulder to see the happy doggy grin on his face, and paused to give him a good scratch between his ears. "This is going to be our year Plue, the year we make all our dreams come true."

* * *

Natsu smiled as he walked up the hill to the local pub. That poor woman had been so embarrassed, you could have fried an egg on her face, she could barely look at him. Which had made it all the easier to look at her. And he had liked what he saw. A lot. Too much. He had really wanted to ask her name, what she was doing in Magnolia, because she was obviously not a local, but seeing her intense embarrassment, he'd decided that a chivalrous exit was the best course of action.

He knew everyone in the small community; they were a tight knit bunch. You didn't live in a small country town for twenty-five years without knowing everyone's business. She was probably just a tourist, up here for the weekend from Sydney, for some mountain air. There were quite a few bed and breakfasts here in Magnolia, who capitalised on city slickers who wanted a weekend away from it all. Yes, that was probably it – she was here with her boyfriend or husband for a romantic weekend, and had been in a hurry to go meet him somewhere. Lucky guy. He tried not to imagine how those beautiful golden curls would look like out of that braid, spread out on a pillow. Natsu stopped short. Where on earth had that come from! It wasn't like he was short of female companionship. If he wanted it. And he didn't. Right now, Grandeeney was his number one priority.

He walked into the pub, and greeted the few men already sitting at the bar with a nod, and received raised beer glasses as way of greeting in return. He sat on the nearest bar stool and smiled at the barman, who was deep in conversation with old Makarov about the latest football scores. Football was the only thing Macao took seriously, everything else would look after itself.

"Evening Macao", Natsu said, as soon as there was a break in conversation. "Are there many bookings tonight?"

Macao tore himself away from the football conversation, after a good-natured pat on old Makarov's arm, and ambled across to him. He retrieved a small battered notepad from under the bar, and after consulting it, and counting on his fingers, he replied "Seven. An older couple, John and Elsie Smythe, staying at the Victoria and Albert Guest House – they'd appreciate a pick-up, by the way, they didn't want to walk up the hill in the dark. A couple of boys from Hall's Gully are bringing their girls along, so that should be fun for you." Natsu rolled his eyes. Hall's Gully was a larger town further down the mountain where the local high school was situated, and every now and then a few of the older students came on the tour. Usually it involved a lot teasing from the boys, and screaming from the girls, and no doubt tonight would be no different.

"And the last one?"

"A woman. Lucy Heartfilia. She called me this afternoon on the phone to book, and paid with a credit card. Said she's here to research for some history book on bushrangers and was interested in local stories. She's staying up at Rose Cottage, but said she didn't need a pick-up, she could drive herself."

A sudden image of brown eyes, a cute slightly-freckled nose and thick golden hair forced its way into Natsu's head. ' _Nah, that would be too good to be true'_ he smiled to himself. ' _She's probably some older university professor or something.'_

"Rose Cottage?" he said aloud. "I didn't think anyone was still up there, after old Mrs Evans died?"

"Ah, it's one of Jonathon Everlue's latest purchases. You know how he's always going on about his 'portfolio'. After poor old Esme kicked the bucket, and didn't leave a will, Everlue snapped it up at the deceased estate auction. Got it for a good price too, including all the furniture. I hear he's letting it out to tourists. Knowing him, he's charging them like a wounded bull."

Natsu frowned, then shrugged his shoulders. Everlue was not well liked around Magnolia, and Natsu had his own reasons for disliking the man.

"Well, that's not a huge group, but it's better than nothing. Good thing I didn't give up my day job" he joked to Macao. "There's just enough time to go check on Grandeeney before I come back here".

"How's Grandeeney doing these days?" asked Macao. "She used to potter into town every day, but I haven't seen her around lately. Not even at the gin rummy game on Wednesday evenings. It's not like her to miss a chance for cards and a port and lemonade".

Natsu's face fell. "Not so good, I'm afraid Macao. You know she had that fall last year when she broke her hip, before I moved in with her. With the colder weather coming on, she's finding it hard to walk a long distance at the moment with her arthritis. She can get around home ok, but she doesn't like people seeing her use a walker, and she'd need that to get into town. I've been taking her out and about when I can, but you know how stubborn she is about being independent. The only reason she's letting me live there with her to keep an eye on her is because I told her I needed to save money for a house."

Macao sighed. "I'm sorry Natsu, I didn't realise it had got as bad as that. She's a tough old stick; I didn't think anything would get her down."

Natsu managed a weak smile. "Come over and visit one afternoon, and bring your cards. She can still beat the pants off me at poker. She'd probably like some new competition."

Macao chuckled. "I've been there once too often to take that bait Natsu. Remember that tournament we had in the pub a few years back? The boys have never let me live it down. I'll round up a few of the old folks who've been asking after her – we could come over for a gin rummy afternoon, if you think she's up to it. I'll even throw in a free bottle of port."

After a beer and a chat with a few of the locals, Natsu walked around the corner and down the street in the twilight to the comfortable old Federation house that he now called home. The front garden was still filled with all the old-fashioned cottage garden flowers that his grandmother so loved, and their perfume hung in the still air. The wide veranda held several Adirondack wooden armchairs, painted a crisp white, and made more comfortable with fat squashy cushions and crocheted blankets. A welcoming glow poured out of the windows either side of the dark green front door, and the huge brass doorknocker gleamed.

Just looking at this house filled Natsu with comfort. It had many happy memories for him. It was where he had grown up, and Grandeeney had always been there. After his parents had both died in a house fire when he was a tiny boy, his grandmother had come to the city to collect him, taken him home, and he had never really left. Of course, he had moved away to complete his training after high school, and he stayed in the rooms above the Fire Station in Hall's Gully when he was on call, but Grandeeney was the one constant in his life. There was no way that he was going to let her down now that she needed him, whether she liked it or not.

The front door gave its characteristic groan on the hinges as he opened it, and he heard the familiar sound of knitting needles gently clicking, and his Gran calling from the kitchen.

"Natsu, is that you boyo? Come and give your old gran a cuddle. I've been reading up on the rising temperatures in Antarctica, and there's more than a few people that I'd like to give a piece of my mind!"

Natsu grinned. As a birthday gift, he'd given Grandeeney a laptop, and after some initial reluctance, she had embraced the internet with all its possibilities. Dinner was often spent discussing world events, or some crackpot scheme she'd come across.

He stepped down onto the slate tiles of the cosy kitchen, and walked over to the huge kauri pine table, where his grandmother sat in a comfortable armchair propped up on cushions. It was much easier for her to get out of the softer chair when it was next to something she could lean on, and as she spent most of her time in the kitchen anyway, she had finally agreed to move her favourite armchair there. She was surrounded by balls of different coloured wool, and from the looks of what she was knitting, no doubt he'd have a new scarf before the weather got cooler.

Natsu walked behind the chair and leaned down to kiss the top of his Grandeeney's head. "I can't stay long Gran, I have a tour tonight, but I'll be back in time for supper. What's in the oven that I can smell?" A delicious lemony scent was drifting around the kitchen, emanating from the old cast iron wood cook stove that his grandmother had staunchly refused to get rid of, even though he had offered to buy her an electric one. He made to open the door of the oven, and received a poke in the ribs with a walking stick for his efforts.

"Oi! Keep your greedy mitts off. It's a lemon delicious pudding, and you'll be ruining it if you go slamming the oven door." The cheeky grin she gave him as she poked him in the ribs again softened her words. She gazed at him over her the top of her glasses. "Are you sure you want to do a tour tonight boyo? My elbow's aching, I'm sure we're in for a storm this evening."

"Definitely sure" he smiled. "I have bookings, and it's not polite to keep your customers waiting".

"Oh well then, if you have to, you have to. But make sure you're home in time to tuck me in".

Natsu smiled at her again. "Of course I'll tuck you in. But I'm really coming home for the pudding."

"Be off with you then, you rude lad" she grinned, taking up her knitting again. "Maybe you'll finally meet a lass that you can bring home for me to meet. You know I'd much rather be knitting booties than another scarf for you!"

Natsu rolled his eyes at her, before giving her a quick smooch on the cheek and grabbing some keys off a hook next to the back door. "Save me some of that pudding" he said with a wink on his way out.

* * *

Lucy pulled into the overgrown driveway, at the very end of the curving mountain road. She was glad she had driven up the thin winding road for the first time before dark. Although it was sealed, there had been a sheer drop on one side, and it was difficult to see exactly how far down the valley floor was, filled as it was with tall eucalyptus trees and tree ferns, and she had no desire to find out for herself by plummeting over the edge. She got out of the car, and undid Plue's safety harness. He immediately jumped down, and started a sniffing exploration of the overgrown garden.

"Don't go too far Plue!" Lucy called out. She balanced the box of groceries on one hip, while slinging her backpack over her other shoulder, walking out from under the small open garage to stand in front of the cottage. A sweet perfume filled the late afternoon air, and she stooped to sniff appreciatively at the small sweet-smelling yellow climbing roses that covered the posts of the front veranda, almost disguising the peeling white paint. The wooden steps creaked, each making a distinctive sound as she trod on each one, and she put both the backpack and the box down on the veranda near the front door to fumble in her front jeans pocket for the keys.

A plain silver key opened the old lock with a little effort, and she opened the front door. A faint waft of lavender greeted her as she walked into the hallway. She peeked into a small bedroom on the left, with a quilted double bed, and old rocking chair and a cedar wardrobe, and then turned to see its twin on the other side of the hall, with two single beds and a carved cedar chest.

An exploration further down the wooden hall revealed a snug sitting room with faded but comfy looking red velvet armchairs on an old Persian rug, either side of a fireplace that included a small combustion stove and a supply of chopped firewood. She continued walking into a small wooden kitchen, painted pale yellow, with a scrubbed pine table and chairs. Off the kitchen was the bathroom, where an old white claw foot bath took pride of place in its dark green tiled surroundings. Although the furnishings were faded and worn, they gave the cottage a very homey feel. Lucy immediately felt a connection with the cottage. It felt like she was meant to be here, like the cottage had been waiting for her.

She stepped out onto the back veranda, and gasped at the view. At the end of the sloping lawn, past a little clump of birch trees, she could see the garden drop away into a rocky valley, giving her a view of distant farmland far below. The mist was beginning to gather as the sun set, lighting it with a rose and tangerine hue. The sunset intensified the earthy colours of the sandstone escarpment, and she heard the bell like call of a lyrebird from somewhere nearby. Lucy could smell the strong clean scent of eucalyptus and tea tree, and she took in a deep breath of air. The stress of the long drive from Sydney eased, and a tension that she hadn't realised she carried seemed to drop away from her shoulders.

A sudden howl and yelp from Plue shattered her peaceful mood, and had her bolting back into the house. It was late autumn, but there still might be snakes around that would not tolerate the inquisitive nose of a boisterous husky. Plue might be large, but he was just an overgrown puppy, and during his short life in the city, he had never come across a snake. She grabbed a handy broom from the kitchen as she skidded past, just in time to see Plue back out of the main bedroom, with his tail between his legs.

Lucy cautiously peered around the bedroom door, the broom held out in front of her like a sword. A cautious sweep under the bed and behind the door revealed nothing scarier than a few dust bunnies, and she was about to drop her guard when a movement caught in the corner of her eye made her heart beat in double time.

She whirled around, just in time to see a small blue-grey cat, more blue than grey, leap up from the top of the bed head and squeeze itself through a small slightly open window she hadn't noticed upon her first inspection. It paced backwards and forwards on the window ledge in the last rays of the sunlight for a few moments, purring and rubbing its face against the window frame, gave them a cursory glance with its almond shaped yellow eyes, and then jumped down into the garden. Lucy stood up on tiptoe to gently push the window shut with the broom handle, and turned to face Plue, who was looking decidedly embarrassed, his ears drooping.

"Oh Plue", she laughed, scratching him between his furry ears. "We've both made fools of ourselves today". Her mind went back to a pair of piercingly green eyes, and a gentle smile, and the touch of amazingly warm hands. A firm muscular leg under her hand, disconcertingly male, all male. She shook her head, as if to shake the memory out, and then said in a decidedly no-nonsense tone, "Plue, we have work to do."

It took no time at all to go out to the car to retrieve her suitcase and unpack the contents into the wardrobe, and after lighting a fire in the small stove in the sitting room, she moved on to the kitchen, putting away the groceries. A small leaflet remained in the bottom of the box, and she snorted as she picked it up and began to read.

" _Join Natsu Dragneel, your ghost host with the most, as he entrances you with tales of misfortune and mayhem. Hear accounts of long-gone residents who can still be seen in numerous locations around the town. The stories you'll hear come from years of research, personal accounts and hauntingly real-life experiences._

 _Visit historic FairyTail Inn. Who's playing games in the cellar when the sun goes down? Is it the spirit of five-year-old James still looking for a friend, or is it the Grey Lady, still waiting for her walk down the aisle? See scary sights like Magnolia Cemetery, the final resting place of early settlers and convicts who succumbed to tuberculosis…or was it final? End your journey with a visit to Caddock's Leap Lookout. The Leap has a long history of paranormal activity. In 1870, the bushranger Mad Dog Caddock, leapt from the cliff rather than be captured by local law enforcement, and he is now believed to haunt the area._

 _Comfortable shoes are recommended so that you don't become dead on your feet during the brief walking portion. Dinner at FairyTail Inn is included in the price of your tour."_

Lucy shook her head. There was no way that she believed in this sort of rubbish, but it would give her a head start to hear some of the local history this evening before she could begin her own research tomorrow at the local town museum. Entirely on a whim, she had called the number on the flyer when she had picked it up at the local grocery store, and made a booking for tonight's tour. Even though it would be ridiculous, and not the historically accurate account she preferred, she did want to hear a local telling of Mad Dog Caddock's death, though of course it would be 'glamourized' for the benefit of those going on the tour. If she was to get her book research completed in a month, she needed all the head start she could get.

Lucy walked in to the sitting room to check on Plue snoozing in front of the fire. As much as she would rather get straight into her pyjamas and make herself a hot chocolate, she forced herself to march away from the cosy glow of the sitting room to the bedroom.

She pulled on a navy woollen sweater over her shirt, and after a moment's thought, dug a bright red beanie and scarf out of the drawer at the bottom of the wardrobe she had so recently filled, and stuffed them into her backpack. Plue should be fine for the few hours that she would be gone – he was in such a deep sleep from the exercise he'd had chasing lizards and birds in the backyard that afternoon, he'd probably hardly notice that she wasn't there. After leaving him a fresh bowl of water and his favourite biscuits next to his basket in the corner, she grabbed her car keys, ready to make the twenty minute trip back to Magnolia.

* * *

Natsu leaned against the wall of the old sandstone pub. The rest of his tour group were all inside, being fed huge portions of steak and chips by the ever-hospitable Macao. He'd just wait outside for a few more minutes to see if his last guest was going to show, before rounding them all up to begin the tour.

He rubbed his hands together in the chill air, before thrusting them into his capacious pockets, glad he'd remembered to bring his huge old army jacket. He was used to the cold, but this night looked like it was going to be a windy, stormy one. Gran's elbow was a very reliable weather predictor. He looked up to see grey clouds scudding across the full moon, and heard a distant rumble. The storm was still a good way away, hopefully it would continue circling until everyone was safe home in their beds.

He was just about to turn and head back inside to wait next to the fire, when a small battered blue Volkswagen lurched into view, with a grinding of gears. It pulled into the car park, and a petite woman in jeans and a navy wool jumper leapt out of the driver's seat. She made to sprint towards the door of the pub, then turned on her heel and opened the driver's door again, leaning across for something in the passenger seat.

Natsu caught a glimpse of a long shiny gold braid as it swung in mid-air, and couldn't help grinning to himself in the semi-darkness. He was going to get to meet his mysterious woman after all. He admired the heart shaped view of her behind in her jeans as she leaned across the front seat to grab a small backpack, and then winced in sympathy as she banged the back of her head on the opening of the car door. Rubbing her head, and muttering to herself, she turned and seeing him, immediately stopped in her tracks.

"Oh no, not you", she groaned audibly.


	2. It's All Part of the Fun

Natsu laughed aloud. "Not the response I usually get, but I'll take it. Ms Heartfilia, I presume?"

Lucy sighed. Was she doomed to continually embarrass herself in front of this man? She had always been clumsy, often because her thoughts seemed to move faster than her body, but today her timing seemed particularly bad.

Pushing her glasses back firmly on her slightly freckled nose, she walked forward into the light, her cheeks flaming. Natsu felt a queer sensation whoop in his stomach. The yellow-toned overhead lighting from the car park seemed to give her hair a golden halo, highlighting the stray curls that had escaped from her braid, and her pale face seem almost translucent, apart from the rosy glow of her blush. As she walked towards him, a gentle drizzle began to fall, adding diamond star sparkles to her hair. Her clear brown eyes were the colour of rich caramel, shot with amber flecks, and he felt as if he could dive into them, fall into their depths, and never come up for air. He gulped and was almost ashamed to hear a soft whine escaping from the back of his throat.

Lucy thrust her small hand out towards him in a business-like manner. "I hope I didn't hold up the beginning of the tour Mr?"

He swallowed. Taking her smaller hand in his for the second time today, Natsu went to shake it gently, but was surprised at her firm grip and the steady way her eyes remained on his. He grinned. He hated it when people gave limp handshakes with no pressure – Ms. Heartfilia was a woman who took no prisoners. "Dragneel, but you can call me Natsu. Everyone around here does."

"I see. So where is the rest of the tour?" Lucy looked around her, expecting to see a group milling around in the carpark somewhere. "I thought I was late!" Noticing her slight anxiety, Natsu was quick to reassure her.

"Don't worry. We weren't quite ready to leave yet anyway. They're all inside at the moment, finishing up on dinner. If you're a fast eater, you might have time to join them."

"Oh, I'm not hungry..." she began to say, but was called out on the fib by the loud rumble from her stomach. Natsu grinned toothily at her, one of his canine teeth poking out over his bottom lip. Lucy's stomach rolled again, but not in hunger. There was that smile again, dammit, the one he had given her this morning after probably realising just how embarrassed she was.

Chuckling at her loudly protesting stomach, Natsu began walking out of the car park towards the arched doorway behind them. "No one dies from starvation on my watch. Come in to the pub – I'm sure Macao can organise some dinner for you quickly. I'll order it for you while you sit down".

He pushed the dark green door open, bending slightly at the waist, with an 'after you' gesture, and she walked through, still blushing furiously. Why was this man affecting her this way? Yes, she was usually shy, she always felt uncomfortable meeting new people, and didn't have that much experience interacting with men outside her work, but she didn't usually become a bumbling idiot. She started to walk towards one of the long tables near the doorway, but was startled when Natsu suddenly hollered behind her.

"Hey Macao. Ms. Heartfilia made it here after all. She needs dinner!" A middle-aged man with dark hair and a moustache at the bar nodded at him, and then turned to a doorway behind him.

"Mira, another steak and chips for one of Natsu's guests." He looked at Natsu questioningly for a moment with an eyebrow raised. Natsu looked back at him with a blank expression until the penny dropped.

"Would mademoiselle like salad or vegetables with her meal?" Natsu inquired, using an atrociously bad French accent.

Looking slightly bemused at the whole exchange, Lucy replied, "Salad", and giggled when the word was hollered by Natsu to Macao, and then by Macao to the empty doorway, that Lucy surmised was the pub's kitchen. A cheerful voice responded back, "Coming right up!"

"Can I order you a drink Ms. Heartfilia?" Natsu asked genially, liking the sound of the giggle, very much. "Beer, wine, juice, water?"

"A beer please", replied Lucy. Natsu grinned toothily at her again, placing a hand on his chest.

"Ah, a woman after my own heart. Back in a sec", he said, walking over to the bar.

Lucy looked around the warm interior, which looked like it hadn't changed that much in the last hundred years. There were a few snug corners with overstuffed armchairs and small tables, but the majority of the room was taken up with long dark wooden tables and benches. A huge wooden mantlepiece framed a stone fireplace with a crackling fire, which added a cheerful glow to the room. Around the walls were lots of dark wooden frames containing what looked like historical photos. Lucy was about to go and look at them more carefully when she noticed an older couple sitting at the long trestle table closest to the fire. They waved and smiled at her when they caught her eye.

"Are you going on the ghost tour tonight too dear?", the lady asked her. She was dressed comfortably in jeans and a red woollen poncho, her silver hair pulled up into a messy bun. The man sitting next to her smiled at the woman next to him; he too was dressed comfortably, wearing jeans and a rugby jersey.

"Yes" Lucy smiled in return. It seemed rude not to, when they were being so friendly.

"Come up closer and join us then" the older woman said, patting the space beside her on the bench encouragingly. "I'm Elsie, and this is John. It will be nice to have a chat while we're waiting".

"How did you hear about the tour?" Lucy began, as a beer and a large plate with salad, chips and a piece of steak the size of a small handbag appeared in front of her. Lucy turned to thank the serving person, only to realise it was Natsu himself. Natsu slid into the bench seat next to her, and she felt the colour in her cheeks rise again, as her stomach flip flopped when his thigh brushed against hers. She smiled a small thanks, and he produced a serviette, fork and steak knife from behind his back, assuming the theatrical flair of a magician who had just produced a rabbit out of a hat. Giggling at him again, she set to it, slicing into the steak. It was tender and juicy and smelt delicious.

"Oh, we're staying at the guesthouse in town", answered Elsie, "and it was on the noticeboard. It seemed like a bit of a fun thing to do. We're travelling around Australia, now that we've retired, and this is our first stop. How did you hear about it?"

Lucy wanted to answer, but was hampered by the large piece of meat she was struggling to get down. The steak was wonderful, done just how she liked it, but she usually preferred to take her time over this sort of meal, and not have to wolf it down. She struggled it down and reached for her beer. After taking a small sip, she explained to Elsie about the flyer she found at the supermarket and deciding to come on the tour only today. Having finished their meal, Elsie and John excused themselves to return to the bar for another drink, and Lucy went back to attacking her steak with gusto.

"Hope the steak's done to your liking?" Natsu asked, watching her eat as he sipped his own beer, having eaten his meal prior to Lucy arriving. "Mira prides herself on her steak cooking ability."

Lucy swallowed another chunk of steak. "It's really good", she answered. "I'm just not used to eating such a large meal this fast."

"Well, you're getting closer to cattle country here – just over the mountain range are some of the best places for beef in New South Wales" Natsu said, gesturing vaguely off to the west. "We like to get our money's worth."

"It was worth coming on the tour just for this steak", smiled Lucy.

"Oh, so my tour is worthless now, is it?" Natsu winked at her. "I'll have to see if I can change your mind. You've got ten minutes before the tour begins here in the basement of the pub". He got up from his seat unhurriedly, nodded and smiled to Elsie and John, who had just returned with their drinks, and went to introduce himself to the other tour guests.

"Such a nice young man", said Elsie.

"Too nice by half", muttered Lucy, gazing at him as he bent to talk to the group of high schoolers grouped around the pool table.

"What was that dear?" asked Elsie, smiling. Her husband John winked at Lucy, then gave his wife a little nudge in the ribs, as they shared a knowing glance.

Lucy blushed slightly, and covered her embarrassment by forking an unfeasibly large piece of steak into her mouth, struggling to chew down the delicious meat. She mentally chastised herself. She could usually talk to people without resembling a beetroot. Of course, the colleagues that she mixed with at the University were at least twenty years older than her. She was lucky to be accepted at all as a research assistant into the Astronomy Department – so many other students would have begged to have her position. She did enjoy her work, and the professional distance in the faculty suited her.

Even while she'd been a student, she'd felt a little apart from the others – there was no Mum and Dad to go back to during the semester breaks like they had; she'd been working two part-time jobs as a kitchen hand and a cleaner at a motel to pay for the rent and all her text books, and she hadn't had funds spare to go away for weekends or out to the pub. She liked being alone. This working holiday was just what she needed. Glancing at the clock, she noticed how little time she had left to tackle the steak and set to it, not noticing the pink haired man grinning at her determined expression from the other side of the room.

* * *

The cool night air fanned Lucy's hair as she looked out of the bus window at the darkening sky, the not so distant thunder echoing the occasional bang from the minibus motor. Despite her earlier misgivings, the evening had been quite fun.

The beginning of the tour in the cellar of the pub would have been interesting, if she'd been able to hear it over the sepulchral moans of the local high school boys, and the occasional squeal of the girlfriends when their hair was pulled, or they were pinched on the backside by their boyfriends.

Natsu had a short talk to the boys, one of which he seemed to know quite well. They calmed down after that, with only whispering and giggling interrupting Natsu's talk. After that, they all piled into a mini bus and went to the older part of Magnolia Cemetery, and Natsu handed each of them a candle in an old-fashioned hinged lantern. Lucy had raised her eyebrows at him, but he winked at her.

"Go along with it, it's all part of the fun", he stage whispered, grinning at her bemused expression. After he had lit all their candles, he led them on a tour around, pointing out the weathered headstones of convicts' graves, and monuments to notable people who had founded Magnolia. He then led the way to the middle of the cemetery, where there was an open space amongst the rusted leaning cast iron fences that surrounded some of the graves. The wind was whistling through the eucalyptus trees overhead, and they could see distant lightning on the skyline behind the mountains out west. Lucy shivered.

"The mountains were first crossed by settlers and convicts in the early 1800's", began Natsu, "but it wasn't until the mid-1800's that Magnolia was first established. Down in Sydney, the summer heat combined with the lack of sewerage combined to create some very 'foul emanations' which many health professionals of the day believed caused diseases."

Natsu began pacing around amongst the graves, his strong voice echoing amongst the gravestones. The wind picked up, whipping the dark pink hair around his forehead, the thunder rumbling in the background dramatically. Lucy had to admit, he was definitely setting the scene. Quite a few of the high school girls were now gripping their boyfriends tightly.

"Our little mountain town became very popular as a sanitorium for the rich, as the bracing mountain air was praised as a cure all for consumption, or tuberculosis as it is properly called. During that time, tuberculosis was seen as a 'romantic disease'. When the British poet Lord Byron wrote "I should like to die from consumption", it became popularised as the disease of artists. But _nothing_ can be further than the truth."

Here Natsu paused dramatically, and the wind chose that moment to push against the old rusted gate of the cemetery, causing it to squeak alarmingly. "There was a reason that the disease was known as consumption – because as the disease progressed, it seemed to consume the individual from within, with their weight drastically dropping until they were skin and bone."

Natsu began walking slowly in amongst the guests, holding his lantern up close to his face in the darkness, the shadows flickering over his features. "Night sweats and chills, and violent uncontrollable coughing were the fate of the sufferer as the disease gradually spread to other organs of the body – death was inevitable."

Natsu paused behind Lucy. "Spare a thought for those who travelled to the mountains to be cured, but who never returned home to their loved ones. I'd like you all to blow out your candles, and think of them for a moment."

Elsie and John blew out their candles, as did the boys, after a quick grin at each of their girlfriends. After a moment's hesitation, so did Lucy. Natsu was the last to blow out his candle.

For a moment, the darkness seemed impenetrable, but as her eyes adjusted, Lucy looked around. The gum trees stood sentinel around the edges of the small graveyard, looking slim and pale in the moonlight. She glanced up, and gasped as she saw the multitudes of stars in the heavens, which were invisible in metropolitan Sydney, the familiar constellations bringing joy to her heart. A meteor sped across her vision, and she felt Natsu's warm breath on her neck, as he whispered "Make a wish…" close to her ear.

A sudden flash of lightning, and deafening crack of thunder a second behind it made them all jump. Everyone laughed, and Natsu produced a torch from his backpack, and led the way back to the bus.

Just after everyone had made their way up the stairs of the minibus, the rain started. Big fat drops chased each other down the window as Lucy peered out into the darkness, trying to see down into the valley.

Natsu apologised over his shoulder to his guests as he concentrated on keeping the bus on the slippery winding road. "I'm very sorry to announce this, but I'll have to cut our tour short; I think the weather is against us. We had one more stop, but it's steep there at the best of times, and for safety reasons, I'm going to have to cancel the rest of the evening."

There were some groans from the boys in the back seat, and Lucy felt a wave of disappointment – the one part of the tour that she had really wanted to see and it wasn't going to happen. Natsu added. "But, I'm happy to give you all a credit to come along again on the evening tour next week, if you're available, or to come some other time.

After dropping off the older couple, Natsu turned the little bus towards FairyTail Inn. The rain was so heavy now that they could hardly see the carpark outside the pub. The boys and girls all piled into two beat up cars and drove off into the night, and Lucy dashed over to her little VW. After sliding into her seat, she turned on the motor. The engine gave a screeching sound, but refused to turn over.

"C'mon, c'mon you bucket of bolts, start for me", begged Lucy, but it was no use. The battery was dead. Lucy leaned her head on the steering wheel, and was startled by a tap next to her on the driver's side car window. She turned, knowing exactly who it would be before she set eyes on him. Natsu's eyes were twinkling.

"It really doesn't seem to be your day, does it."

Lucy groaned. "I knew I should have just stayed in the cottage instead of coming on this tour. I was jinxed from the start."

Natsu grinned cheekily at her from underneath his umbrella. "I'm afraid I can't do anything about your car. Macao has already driven off in the bus, which belongs to him. But I live just around the corner, if you don't mind a quick dash in the rain, and then I can give you a lift home. You're staying in Rose Cottage, aren't you?"

Lucy thought for a moment. In Sydney, she would have fobbed off a suggestion like this from a stranger and said no thank you. But there was something about Natsu that made her feel like she could trust him. He'd helped her when she'd fallen over this morning, hadn't she?

Natsu sensed her indecision. "If it helps, I live with my 85-year-old Grandmother. I doubt she'd allow anything untoward with a young lady whom I'd only just met. But, if you'd rather, I can call Gajeel the local mechanic, but we'd have to wait here in the car – the pub is closed up early because it's a week night."

Lucy weighed up her options. Call the local mechanic and wait in the dark in a small car with a man she barely knew, or go home with a man she barely knew, with a possibly fictitious grandmother acting as chaperone. She really didn't know much about Natsu at all, apart from the fact that he ran a ghost tour, was friendly with the local barman, and had warm hands and a nice smile that went all the way up to his eyes.

Natsu played his trump card.

"Gran had a Lemon Delicious pudding in the oven when I left. I'm willing to share, but I have to admit it's a wrench. Her cooking is awesome."

Lucy made her decision. "All right, I'll come with you, Mr Dragneel. But if you turn out to be a cold-blooded killer, I'll haunt you and your ghost tour for all eternity".

Natsu laughed. "I promise, the only thing I murder around here is a curry. And please call me Natsu, or that pudding is all mine. I only share Gran's cooking with friends I'm on a first name basis with."

Lucy found herself smiling back. "Ok, Natsu it is then. I'll have to share your umbrella I'm afraid – I didn't bring one."

"No problem Lucy", smiled Natsu, and held the umbrella over her as she manoeuvred her way out of the car and locked it. Once she was standing next to him, he handed the umbrella to her and stepped away.

"No, you'll be soaked!" she protested, trying to hold it over him as well, but it was difficult as he was much taller.

"Just keep it over you. The rain's too heavy to keep us both dry. Besides, I have clean clothes at home, you don't", he reasoned. Lucy decided they would get moving faster if she didn't argue, and they set off.

"How old did you say your grandmother is?", asked Lucy, as she tried to make conversation over the sound of the rain and the rumble of thunder in the background. She sincerely hoped they wouldn't get struck by lightning on the way to Natsu's house.

"Eighty-five", replied Natsu, "she'll be eighty-six in two weeks. She's a tough old lady. She and my Grandad moved over here from Wales when she was in her twenties. No doubt she'll quiz you on your family history."

Lucy raised a quizzical eyebrow at him, trying not to notice as he pushed his fingers through his now drenched hair, sending rivulets of rainwater down his face and throat, and under the collar of his shirt.

Natsu shrugged. "I've never heard the name Heartfilia before, and Gran loves family history. She runs…" he halted, momentarily, "she _used_ to run the local historical society, and did genealogical research for people. Aren't you researching something like that for a book? You might have lots in common."

"Really? She probably knows where a lot of the records I need to access are then! That's amazing!", Lucy squealed, skipping a little under the umbrella in her excitement. Natsu made a show of pretending to clean out the ear closest to Lucy with his little finger.

"What's that? You'll have to repeat it, I don't think you screamed it quite loud enough, ya weirdo", said Natsu, grinning at the way Lucy's eyes narrowed at him.

"Shut up!" she pouted, pushing his arm as he cackled at her response. "There's nothing weird about being excited about what you love doing! I really enjoy doing research, and it will be exciting to meet someone else who probably enjoys it too, based on what you've just told me."

"Don't worry, I'm just teasin' ya. So, what's a research expert, probably a big shot Professor, doing coming on my crummy little ghost tour?"

"It wasn't crummy!" protested Lucy, pushing his arm again. "I really enjoyed it. The graveyard was particularly atmospheric", she grinned.

Natsu chuckled. "I know. That thunder really set the mood; it's a shame I can't plan for a storm every time."

"I was impressed at the amount of historical detail you went into", Lucy continued. "I have to admit", she confessed guiltily, "my expectations really weren't set too high."

Natsu clutched his chest, closing his eyes with a mock pained expression. "Ah, you wound me – already damning me with faint praise!" Lucy snorted at his theatrics and he grinned. "I have to admit I had help with that bit. My friend Levy, the local librarian, provided a lot of that information. And Gran too of course. Between the two of them, there's not much they don't know about Magnolia."

"This is amazing!" laughed Lucy. "Not even the first day, and I have leads on two people that can help with my research! It's just a shame that we didn't get to go to that last place on your tour. That's where I really wanted to go, because that bushranger, Mad Dog Craddock, that's who I'm writing about."

"No problem", grinned Natsu toothily. "If the rain lets up, I can take ya there tomorrow. I'm not on call, and I don't have any plans. Just have ta finish a few repair jobs for Gran, and then you've got me for the whole day."

"Oh, um, I don't want you to go to too much trouble…", began Lucy hesitantly.

"No, it's no trouble at all", beamed Natsu. "Unless…", he stopped, a slow look of growing comprehension moving across his face. "Natsu, you idiot", he muttered to himself.

Turning to look Lucy in the eye, he said "Lucy, I'm really sorry. I wasn't even thinking. You don't know me at all, and I'm probably making you uncomfortable. It's probably weird enough that you're walking home with a total stranger." He sighed, stepping around a large puddle that had formed in the footpath in front of them. He looked up at her again, smiling gently. "I guess I was forgetting that you're not from around here, and usually I don't hesitate to offer to do stuff like this, because everyone knows who I am. But you don't. I totally understand if you wouldn't feel right going somewhere alone with me. I promise I won't be offended."

He moved in front of her to open a cast iron small gate and gestured for her to move through before him. "Here's Gran's house. I did offer a chaperone and dessert."

He walked up the path to the veranda of the federation house, sweeping his wet pink locks off his face again, and produced a key from his pocket. Just as Lucy stepped onto the veranda, the rain let up. "Figures", smiled Natsu. He opened the front door, letting the welcoming light in the hallway spill out to greet them. Lucy shook as much water off the umbrella as she could, and after leaning it up against the railing on the veranda, followed Natsu inside.


	3. Look Again Lucy

Following Natsu's lead, Lucy stepped through the old wooden door, shutting it behind her and welcoming the blissful heat that surrounded them after the wind and rain outdoors. She toed off her wet boots with a little effort, and left them near his pair of much larger ones, tucked up against an old-fashioned hall stand. She was very tempted to peek at her appearance in the hall stand mirror, but decided against it, knowing already that she wasn't looking her best. She heard Natsu sniggering.

"What?", questioned Lucy, her hands immediately moving to her hair, trying to smooth down the frizz that she was sure the rain had caused. "Do I look that bad?"

"Nice socks", he teased. Lucy glanced down, realising that she was wearing one hot pink sock with bright yellow stars, the other electric blue with red hearts.

For a moment she felt unsure, not used to being teased. But Natsu's cheerful grin showed he meant no harm by it, so she decided to take his friendly gesture as it was intended.

"I may have been a little bit eager to get going this morning", she said shyly with a small smile. "Matching socks weren't really high on my priority list".

"You're really living up to the absent-minded stereotype, Professor", he grinned.

"Please, would I really be driving that beat up hunk of junk we just left in the carpark if I was earning a Professor's wage?" snorted Lucy.

She tiptoed down the hallway behind him in her slightly damp socks, admiring the ornate plaster mouldings on the ceiling. Dark wooden floorboards were covered by a slightly threadbare hallway runner in red and gold tones, and the cream walls were hung with what looked to be framed family photographs. Not wanting to snoop without permission, she sped up and almost bumped into Natsu as he paused at the end of the hallway.

"Gran, I'm back", Natsu called out, as he stepped down two steps into a light filled room.

"You're late boyo. Levy dropped over to talk about today's historical society meeting, and I was just about to offer her your share of the pudding."

"Gran, how could you!", Natsu moaned in mock horror. "I thought you loved me!"

Feeling shy, Lucy stepped down into what was obviously the kitchen. The cream and sage green colour scheme was welcoming and warm. Wooden benchtops ran the length of one wall; they were a little battered but looked like they'd been buffed with beeswax and it all added to the homey feel. The room was warm, and Lucy could hear the crackling noise of a fire coming from an old wood burning stove set into a tiled wall alcove.

A farmhouse table with bench seating was in the centre of the kitchen, and at the end of the table, seated in an overstuffed floral armchair, sat an older lady, propped up with several fat cushions. Her long white hair was pulled back tidily into a thick braid that rested on the shoulder of her cream cable-knit jumper, her wrinkled face wreathed in smiles. When she noticed Lucy stepping down into the kitchen behind Natsu, her piercing blue eyes twinkled. Placing her knitting down onto the table, she leaned forward with interest, as if she was about to hear the juiciest piece of gossip ever.

"Oho, so this is why you're late", she chuckled, peering at Natsu over the top of the magnifying glasses that were perched on the end of her nose.

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Gran, this is Lucy. She was a guest on the tour, and her car broke down. I offered her a ride back to old Mrs. Evans house, where she's staying, _and_ some pudding, if you haven't already given it all away that is. Lucy, this is Grandeeney.

"It's very nice to meet you Grandeeney." Lucy smiled a little hesitantly, twisting her fingers together. Nervous butterflies fluttered in her stomach. "I'm sorry for the intrusion at this hour. I didn't realise that I had made Natsu late."

"Never mind Lucy. If you didn't make him late, he would have been held up for some other reason. This boy has never been on time in his life." Ignoring Natsu's indignant sputtering in the background, she continued. "Natsu, why don't you stop dripping on my clean floor and go get changed into some dry clothes, while I make Lucy some tea and we have a nice chat. Levy was just getting some extra logs for the fire, she should be back in a moment."

Lucy looked at Natsu uncertainly. "Don't worry Luce, she's too old to bite… much", chuckled Natsu. "Gran, behave yourself okay?"

"I always behave myself Natsu Dragneel, which is more than I can say for one of the other occupants of this room. Go now, before you make a puddle!"

Natsu made his way back up the hallway and disappeared behind one of the closed doors. When Lucy noticed Grandeeney pulling herself up out of her cushions, Lucy waved both hands in an effort to keep her seated.

"Oh, please don't get up on my account Grandeeney. I don't want to be a bother. It's fine, really."

"Well, maybe you could make me a cup of tea then."

Before she knew it, Lucy was being directed by Grandeeney around her kitchen, asking her to set the old enamel tea kettle onto the stove, and pointing out where the tea, sugar, milk and floral teacups and saucers were kept. By the time Natsu walked back up the hallway dressed in old jeans and a football jersey, drying his damp hair with a towel, the table was set with tea, plates, spoons and the promised pudding. A loud thumping sound at the back door made Lucy jump.

"Sorry it took me a while Grandeeney, I had to find some wood that didn't get damp in the rain."

A stack of logs on short jean-clad legs made its way into the kitchen, bumping the door shut with a well-placed shove of a small booted foot. The logs were dumped into a basket next to the wood stove, revealing a petite woman in a brightly patterned shirt with tousled blue hair. The orange fabric headband she wore looked like it was having difficulty keeping the thick hair under control. After brushing a few stray splinters off her shirt she turned, first noticing the set table, and then Natsu and Lucy. "Oh wow, I didn't know it was going to be a party, Grandeeney!" She practically bounced her way across the floor to Lucy and stuck her hand out to shake. "Hi, I'm Levy, it's nice to meet you!"

Lucy had to smile internally at such enthusiasm. At 5'4", she had always considered herself on the short side, but Levy was a full half head shorter than she was. She seemed to make up for her lack of height with her bubbly personality. Lucy grasped the small hand in hers, delighted to feel a firm handshake back. "Hi, I'm Lucy".

"Yay, everyone knows everyone. Can we have pudding now?", whined Natsu in the background.

"Sit down Natsu", chuckled Grandeeney. "Levy, can you be a dear and pour the tea for me? And Lucy, pass down those plates and I'll serve out the pudding."

Lucy watched as Natsu and Levy joked back and forth, while Grandeeney looked on, smiling at them indulgently. They'd obviously all known each other for a long time, and she felt a little out of place. She sipped her tea nervously, and then began eating her pudding in small bites. After the first few mouthfuls, she let out a happy sigh. Natsu was right, Grandeeney's pudding really was awesome.

"So, Lucy, will you be staying long at Rose Cottage?" asked Grandeeney. Lucy looked up to see three sets of eyes staring at her, and felt a small blush rise in her cheeks.

Lucy swallowed a mouthful of pudding. "I'll be up here for a month."

"Wow, that long? That's awesome Luce! If you get tired of doin' research and writin', maybe we could go on a bushwalk. There's a group of us that go, sometimes. And Macao has trivia nights at Fairytail every now and then, I bet you'd be amazin' at it!"

Looking at Natsu's eager face, Lucy felt a warm feeling glow in her chest. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had invited her to anything, and Natsu had known her for one evening at the most, if you didn't count the embarrassing moment when she'd landed on her butt in front of him earlier today. He seemed genuinely excited at the thought of being able to spend time with her. She wasn't used to that. Most of her wanted to back away from the offer, keep herself safe. But a small part, the part that felt excited about finally feeling brave enough to try something new, wanted to grasp it with both hands. Before she could overthink it, she found herself answering.

"I… I'd like that Natsu, thank you."

"What sort of research are you doing Lucy?", questioned Levy, scraping the bottom of her plate with her spoon to make sure she'd gotten every delicious morsel. She picked up her teacup. "I don't know if Natsu's mentioned it, but I'm the local librarian, and I'm sure I'd be able to help in some way. Could we make a date to meet up for coffee tomorrow and work out what you need?"

"That would be wonderful Levy, thank you."

Natsu waved his own teacup around, almost sloshing milky tea onto the table. "I've got a better idea. If Lucy's gonna be up here for that long, she should get to know everybody. Why don't we meet up at Fairytail?" Levy grinned at Natsu in agreement, and they clinked their cups together in acknowledgement of a great idea.

Lucy looked at them both, puzzled.

"Macao hosts a BBQ at Fairytail every Friday night, unless the weather's really bad", Natsu explained. "All of our friends go. It's a great place to get to know everyone, and I'm sure you and Levy could find somewhere quiet to talk if you needed to. Whaddya say Luce?"

Lucy's fists clenched under the table. Today had been a little overwhelming. So many new people all at once. She really wasn't good at meeting people in large groups, and the thought of being at a bar, where she might lose track of people that knew her was freaking her out a little. She needed to calm down. Natsu was starting to look at her. She needed to get a grip on herself. Taking a deep breath, Lucy replied.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea Natsu." She forced a smile onto her face. Natsu looked at her a little uncertainly, but then smiled back.

"No problem, Luce".

"This is great!", enthused Levy. "Another person to talk books with!" She began to interrogate Lucy about her interests, and began a back and forth conversation about favourite authors and books; hesitant on Lucy's side, exuberant on Levy's. When they began touching on social historians, such as Bettany Hughes and Lucy Worsley, Lucy knew she had found a kindred spirit. The conversation began flowing freely with occasional interjections from Natsu and Grandeeney, and before Lucy knew it, she felt totally at ease. She and Levy shared a lot of favourite authors and were happily debating the merits of Lucy Worsley's new book on the life of Jane Austen, when Grandeeney interrupted them.

"These old lady bones are telling me it's past my bed time. Are you sure you don't want to stay the night here Lucy? We've got plenty of spare beds, and Natsu could run you home early in the morning."

Lucy smiled at the older woman, touched by the offer. "Thank you Grandeeney, but I really couldn't, even if I wanted to. I've stayed longer than I probably should have already. My dog is still at the house unattended, and I don't want him to wake up and get anxious in a new house without me."

"Aw, you have a dog?", cooed Levy. "I love dogs! What's his name?"

"Plue", smiled Lucy. "He's a big goof ball. Looks like he should be so fierce, but he's just a big pussycat." A sudden thought struck her. "Oh, speaking of cats, do you know where I might be able to report a stray? There was a cat in the house when we first got there. He didn't look unloved though – he was beautiful; I've never seen another cat like him."

"Maybe he's just lost", suggested Levy. "I could put up a notice at the library if you like. Can you describe him for me, and I can do it tomorrow?"

"Well, I didn't notice him at first, Plue found him. He got all worked up when he saw him, it was almost like he was frightened of him." She chuckled. "He's such a baby sometimes. Anyway, he was grey. Actually no, he was more blue than anything. I've never seen another cat that colour before. Blue with really bright yellow eyes."

If Lucy had thought she'd seen Natsu smile before, she was mistaken. The grin that lit up his face almost closed his eyes completely, and he lunged across the table, grasping her shoulders in his hands. Lucy's mouth hung open in surprise.

"You saw a blue cat with yellow eyes. Are you sure, really sure?"

"Yes?", answered Lucy uncertainly.

Natsu dropped his hands from her shoulders, and thrust them both up into the air, whooping excitedly. "I knew it. I knew you were special from the first moment I bumped into you Lucy! Hey, Happy, are you here buddy?"

 _Knock, Knock._

Lucy startled. That knock. Who was doing that? Grandeeney was knitting and Levy had both of her hands on her teacup. She could see both of Natsu's hands planted firmly on the table.

"Was that _you_ that Lucy saw today at the cottage?"

 _Knock, knock._

"You're not playing tricks on me, are you buddy?" Natsu's voice held a touch of anxiety. "Cause this is important."

 _Knock._

"You really showed yourself to her?"

 _Knock, knock._

A panicky feeling was growing in Lucy's chest. Was Natsu playing a joke on her? He seemed to like teasing, but this felt different; was this like some initiation test or something?

"What's going on Natsu?", she asked, her voice a little unsteady. "You're freaking me out a bit here."

Levy reached over and patted one of her hands. "It's okay Lucy, really", she smiled.

Grandeeney cleared her throat as she continued her knitting and gazed sternly at Natsu. "Natsu, you're worrying Lucy. You need to explain to her what's going on."

"It's okay Luce, I'm pretty sure Happy wouldn't have shown himself to you if he didn't think you could handle it. Is that right buddy?"

 _Knock, knock_.

Natsu looked across at Lucy and noticing her frightened expression he moved around the table to sit next to her on the bench seat, grasping one of her smaller hands in his. "Okay", he said, taking a deep breath, trying to calm his obvious excitement. "I've known Happy since I was a little boy, when I first moved here with Gran after Mum and Dad died. He helped me when I was really sad, sort of adopted me, I guess. And then he never left, he's been a friend to me ever since."

Lucy shook her head. "Natsu, the cat I saw didn't look that old, it looked almost like a kitten. And the way he moved… he jumped really easily through a small window, so I'm pretty sure it can't have been a cat old enough to be one you've owned since you were a little boy."

Natsu grinned at her. "I actually don't know how old Happy is, but that doesn't matter. That's because he's not a cat Luce. He's a poltergeist."

Lucy's eyes widened, her heart beating like a drum. There was a roaring sound in her ears. She snatched her hand out of Natsu's.

"You think this is funny, do you?", Lucy spat. She yanked her hand out of Natsu's grasp, watching as his eyes widened in dismay. "You probably do this all the time, huh, single someone out on one of your tours to play a trick on."

Lucy's voice was ice-cold. She felt so hurt, she could hardly stand it. She had finally thought she had made a connection, had made real friends after years of self-imposed isolation, and it was a lie. People couldn't be trusted. It was obvious she couldn't even trust herself.

"I'm just some sick joke to you aren't I. Well, luckily, I'm not as gullible as you thought I was! I know what's real and what isn't!" She choked back tears. She would not cry in front of these people, people who only moments before she had thought of as friends. "People like you are the reason I know it's safer to be by myself."

She pushed herself away from the table, and stood up, ready to walk out of the house. She didn't know how she was going to get back to the cottage, but right now she didn't care. She would walk there if she had to.

Natsu grabbed her wrist, gently, an anguished look on his face. "No, Luce, I would never… you're the first one who's ever actually seen him! I wouldn't trick anyone like that, honestly."

"Let me go", Lucy muttered through gritted teeth.

"Lucy, just wait… just… Happy, _please_!"

Lucy's teacup rattled and tipped over, spilling the dregs of her tea into the saucer. The teaspoon flicked up into the air and fell onto the floor.

"How… how are you doing that." Lucy's bottom lip quivered.

"It's not _me_ doing it. Look again Luce. Look _hard_. Sometimes I have to really concentrate to see him."

Blinking the hot tears out of her eyes, Lucy looked again. She could see little bits of light, almost like a static charge. Blue light and yellow light. She concentrated harder, staring, holding her breath. And there he was. A small blue cat, with yellow eyes. She watched as the yellow eyes locked onto hers, then gave a slow deliberate wink, before tipping over the sugar bowl with the tip of his paw.

"He… he winked at me", Lucy said breathlessly.

"Yeah I know, he can be a cheeky bastard sometimes." Natsu let out a slow breath. He squeezed her wrist gently, and then let go.

Levy sighed in relief. "So you can really see him Lucy? I've never been able to see him. Where is he?"

Lucy pointed to the centre of the table, where Levy watched the empty milk jug suddenly tip over.

Grandeeney patted both hands firmly down on the table. "Alright, that's more than enough excitement for this old lady for one evening. Natsu, you need to take Lucy home before it gets any later. Levy, could you help an old lady down the hallway before you call that young man of yours to come and pick you up? I don't want you walking home in the dark."

She stood up slowly, scattering her cushions, and Natsu quickly moved behind her to pull the old armchair out of the way as she braced her hands on the table top. Her arms quivered with the effort. Levy moved to Grandeeney's side and looped her small arm around the older woman's back and passed her a walking stick that had been propped up next to the armchair.

"Lucy…" Lucy turned her frightened eyes towards Grandeeney's kind ones. "This has obviously been a surprising day for you. You need to go home and get a good night's sleep. Everything always looks better in the morning." Her eyes twinkled. "I like you. I'm sure we're all going to get along just fine."

Levy smiled at Lucy too. "Lucy, we'll talk tomorrow, okay?" She hesitated for a moment, then said, "I know Happy came as a bit of a shock to you, but he's been around Natsu for so long, that all of us just take him for granted, you know?" She bit her lip. "I really enjoyed talking to you Lucy, and I hope that while you're here, we can be friends."

Lucy gave Levy a wobbly smile. "I'd like that Levy. I really would", she replied. As Levy turned to go with Grandeeney, Lucy asked, "Did… Did you always believe Natsu, about Happy, I mean?"

"Of course", Levy smiled. Looking at Lucy's surprised face, Levy laughed. "Lucy, you haven't known Natsu very long, but there's some things you'll learn about him very quickly. He's incapable of lying, and it's almost impossible for him to keep a secret." Laughing at Natsu's slightly offended expression, Levy said goodnight, and helped Grandeeney make her way down the hallway to one of the bedrooms.

Natsu walked up the hallway to retrieve their still slightly damp boots, dropping Lucy's next to her. She startled, and then pulled them on, while Natsu did the same.

"Okay Luce let's get you home", said Natsu. When he failed to get a response, he walked back over to her and took her smaller hand gently in his. Her hand was shaking slightly.

Dammit, he should have gradually introduced the idea of Happy to her, not dumped it on her like an ice-cold bucket of water. When she had accused him of lying, his heart had almost seized up in his chest; it had felt like a physical blow. But there was something about her reaction that made him feel like there was more to it than just anger that she had thought she was being tricked, or fear of the unknown. He pulled gently on her hand and she followed, walking with him silently out to the garage. When they stopped in front of a motorbike, the word 'nemesis' lettered in white on the gleaming red fuel tank, she pulled up short.

"Oh", she said. "Is this how you're taking me back to the cottage?"

"Yup. Have you ever been on a motorbike before?"

"No, never."

Natsu smiled, squeezing her hand gently. "You'll be fine. It's so late, there'll be hardly any traffic on the roads, so we can go slowly." He grabbed a spare black helmet off a shelf above the bike and passed it to her, bowing slightly. "Your crown, princess." Lucy took the helmet silently and placed it on her head. Natsu sighed and placed his own helmet on, mentally kicking himself. He had made things weird now. This is why he didn't talk about Happy around new people. He wondered why Happy had even shown himself to Lucy if she was reacting this way.

Natsu wheeled the bike out of the garage and swung his leg over, bracing his foot as he waited for Lucy to climb on behind him. She slid herself onto the black leather seat, and after a moment's hesitation, placed her hands lightly on his hips. He chuckled. "You're gonna have ta hold on tighter than that Lucy. Off we go". He revved the motorbike into life, and they took off.

As they sped down the slick mountain roads, Lucy concentrated on different things. She concentrated on how cold her hands felt in the icy breeze as they gripped onto Natsu's shirt. She concentrated on the thrum of the motorbike beneath her, and the whistling sound of the wind. She watched the tiny lights of houses in the distance wink out of sight as they sped past. But it wasn't working. Memories from her childhood were piling up, thick and fast, and she didn't know how to handle it. She had locked them away for such a long time. Breathe in. Wind. Breathe out. Cold. Breathe in. Lights. Breathe out. Stars. Her concentration was broken when they slowed down and Natsu brought the bike to a stop outside the cottage. Lucy swung her leg over the back of the bike and pulled off the helmet.

"Natsu, do you think you could come inside for a little while?"

Natsu pulled off his helmet, ruffling his pink locks with one hand. "Are you sure that's a good idea Lucy?" He laughed, but it didn't have any humour in it. "You seemed pretty upset before, I'd say you've seen more than enough of me for one day."

"Natsu, please. I'd like to apologise to you, and I need to explain why my reaction to you talking about Happy was so… extreme."

Natsu looked at her face closely. It was hard to tell in the shadows cast by the street lights, but she looked kind of fragile, frightened. Her brown eyes were wide, almost begging him, and her small white teeth abused her lower lip as she waited for his answer. Knowing he was just going to worry about her if he left without knowing that she was calm enough to sleep first, he decided to humour her.

"Sure Lucy, I don't mind comin' in for a little while." He wheeled the bike up into the driveway and picked up both helmets, bringing them up on to the veranda. When he noticed Lucy was having trouble opening the lock with her shaking fingers, he gently took the key from her hand and opened the door.

As they walked in, they heard a delighted 'whuff' and the clattering of claws running down the wooden floorboards of the hallway. As soon as Plue saw Natsu, he skittered to a stop. His hackles rose a little, a soft growl rumbling in his throat. Lucy stepped in front of Natsu.

"Plue, sit!" She held her hand palm out next to her leg and moved it up as if to touch her shoulder. Plue immediately plonked down into a sitting position, although he still eyed Natsu warily. Lucy looked over to Natsu. "Just ignore him for a little while, until he gets used to the idea of you being here."

"That's gonna be tough Luce, he's beautiful!" Natsu's fingers itched to go straight over and pat him, but Plue was a big dog, and Lucy obviously knew what she was doing, so he kept his eyes on her, rather than on the dog watching him, his furry white head tilted to one side. Plue whined, wriggling his bottom in the sit position, trying to wag his tail while still obeying Lucy's command. A very small smile twitched at the corner of Lucy's mouth.

"Okay Plue, Free". She put both hands up near her shoulders, palms out and waved them slightly. Plue trotted over to Lucy and headbutted her legs, asking for a pat. She ran her fingers over the dog's silky ears, then gave him a little push. "Go say hi to Natsu, you big dork."

Plue walked around Natsu, sniffing his legs. He bent down and sniffed his shoes, and then sat down in front of him. Natsu cautiously dropped his arm down by his side and let his palm open in invitation for Plue to sniff, if he wanted to. When Plue sniffed, and then licked his palm, Natsu slowly lowered himself into a squat so that he was on Plue's level. When Plue headbutted him in the face and then licked his cheek, he chuckled. "Hey buddy! It's nice to meet you too!" He reached out to scratch Plue's shoulders, and Plue wriggled in delight, tail thumping against the wooden floorboards. After a final lick to Natsu's smiling face, he trotted back down the hallway and took up his position next to the fire again, snorting out through his nose and closing his eyes.

"So, is that the official Plue seal of approval?", Natsu joked. Seeing the strained look on Lucy's face, Natsu sighed. "Luce, really, ya don't have to apologise. Why don't you get some sleep, and we can talk tomorrow, if ya want to?"

Lucy shook her head. She walked down the hallway and sat down in the armchair nervously, clutching a cushion to her chest. Natsu sat down across from her on the sofa. Lucy laughed uneasily.

"I don't know where to start."

"The beginning is usually a good place Luce. Why don't you start there?"

"Okay", Lucy gulped. She looked down at the cushion in her arms, fingers plucking at non-existent fluff. "When I was five my mother died. She had cancer, was ill for a year. It was untreatable. My father didn't handle it well. Because we were quite wealthy, he decided that I should be tutored at home rather than going to school. He said it was because I'd get the best education, but I think now it was so he could keep an eye on me at all times."

She looked up at Natsu and saw the understanding in his eyes. He had said something earlier about his parents dying, so maybe he did understand. She looked down at the cushion again. "Anyway. Even though I was home schooled, I had a… friend. My tutors called her an imaginary friend, and thought it was cute. They all thought it was cute until I started getting 100% on my tests all the time. Even stuff that we hadn't covered yet. They wouldn't believe me when I told them that Aquarius had helped me with the answers. They thought I was cheating somehow, said I was lying. I got into big trouble with my father, who told me that he hated liars, and he forbade me from ever mentioning Aquarius again."

Lucy hugged the pillow tighter to her. "So I learned to hide my connection with her. Years went past. Everything was ok. I still didn't have any real-life friends, but I had Aquarius. She kept me company, kept me from being so lonely. And then one day we had a visitor."

Natsu's hands clenched into fists as he watched the silent tears drip down Lucy's cheeks. He wanted to hug her, comfort her, but she didn't know him that well. He didn't want to make this any harder for her than it already was.

"It was one of my mother's older friends, a lady called Grami. Apparently, they were close when my mum was younger. My father was out, so we chatted for a while. She told me how sorry she was that she hadn't been there when my mother had died, that she had been overseas, and hadn't known. She asked how I was doing, how my studies were going. I think I was about sixteen at the time. After a little while she asked me if my mother had ever spoken to me about… Aquarius. She asked me if I had inherited my mother's gift."

Lucy looked up. She had felt a gentle tap on her shoulder and saw Natsu squatting on the floor in front of her, holding a glass of water. "You're doin' great Luce, but your voice was gettin' a little raspy." She took a long grateful drink of the water, and he took the glass from her and placed it on the coffee table. He sat back down on the sofa as Lucy continued with her story.

"Apparently my mum had been a famous medium. Before she was married, people had come to her from all over the world. She had different spirits that communicated with her, helped her. Aquarius was one of them. But when she married my father, that all stopped. He wasn't comfortable with it, so she gave up her career for him." Lucy sighed.

"When my father got home, I confronted him about it. Asked why he had never believed me when I had spoken about Aquarius all those years ago, when he obviously knew all about it. He went ballistic. Told me I was sick, that my mother had been sick too, that he'd done his best to save her, but he couldn't and that he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. He sent me to my room. When I woke up the next morning, I wasn't in my room anymore."

Lucy broke into heart rending sobs, and Natsu couldn't take it anymore. He was at her side in a moment, stroking her back, making gentle shushing sounds. "Luce, you don't have to tell me anymore if it's makin' you so upset. Come sit next to me, where there's more space." He gently pulled her to her feet and helped her to sit down next to him on the sofa, his arm around her back with her head on his shoulder.

"You don't understand Natsu. I need to talk about this. Could you listen for just a little longer, please?" Natsu squeezed her arm, and she tucked her head in under his chin.

"I don't think the place was an actual hospital. There were nurses, and counsellors. I had counselling sessions every day where they'd tell me I was sick, mentally ill. I'm pretty sure they were drugging me with some sort of medicine, and some days I'd wake up and it took me a while to work out who I was, and I would lose big chunks of time. I heard one of the nurses talking about shock treatment therapy once, I can't prove that happened to me, but it would explain a lot." Lucy heard Natsu make an angry noise almost like a growl.

"One day they told me my treatment was finished, that I was cured, that someone would be coming to pick me up. I assumed it would be my father, but it was Spetto, she had looked after me at the house when I was a little girl. She took me to her house and explained that my father was dead, and the family money was all gone. The house had been sold to cover debts. There was nothing left."

Natsu stroked Lucy's hair gently, as Lucy continued, tears splashing down her cheeks. "Natsu, until you explained what Happy was and I saw him tonight, I had forgotten all about Aquarius. I had forgotten about who my mother really was, and who I really was, what my father had done. It all came back in a big rush, and I was so _frightened_. That's why I said those things to you. I didn't mean them. I'm sorry! I'm _sorry_!"

She turned her head into Natsu's chest and sobbed. Plue got up from his spot near the fire and placed his head on Lucy's knee, whining at her. "She'll be okay Plue, I'll make sure of it", said Nastu. He continued to stroke her hair, staying with her until she finally cried herself to sleep.


	4. Easy as Falling Off a Cliff

Natsu woke with a start, feeling something warm and wet rasp against his cheek. Struggling to open his eyes, he pushed out his hands and rolled, overbalancing and falling with a thud off the sofa onto the hardwood floor.

"Plue!", scolded Lucy, squatting down to the floor where Natsu lay sprawled, Plue still struggling to lick his cheeks as she pushed him away, "I know I said we were going to wake Natsu up, but this was _not_ what I meant!"

Natsu sat up, rubbing the back of his head, yawning and tousling his disordered pink hair even further. He stretched his neck sideways, trying to get the kinks out. "G'morning Lucy."

"Hi…", said she nervously, holding out a cup of coffee. "I just made coffee. I wasn't sure if you liked it black, or…"

Natsu reached out for the cup, cradling his hands around the mug like it was worth its weight in gold. "No, black is good, coffee is wonderful". He took a big gulp and then sighed happily. "Thanks Luce".

"Um, I want to thank you, for last night", said Lucy hesitantly. "And for staying". She had woken up in her own bed, boots off but still in her clothes covered by the quilt, and had realised Natsu must have carried her to bed after she had fallen asleep. "I'm sorry to drop all that on you, I just…"

Natsu grinned up at Lucy from his cross-legged seat on the floor, then levered himself back up to sit on the sofa, carefully cradling his mug of steaming coffee. "Lucy, you don't have to apologise for anything. I'm happy that I could help." He sighed. "It's partly my fault anyway. If I'd known how tellin' you about Happy would affect you I never would a told you about him. At least not until you knew me better."

Lucy sat down next to him on the sofa with her own coffee, sitting sideways to face him and tucking one foot up under her thigh. "Actually, I'm grateful", she said softly, looking down at her cup. "For a long time, I've felt like there was something missing. I thought maybe I was just feeling grief over my father's death, but now that I know, I'd like to try and find that part of myself again". She sighed and gulped down a mouthful of her own coffee. "I don't know the first thing about how to do that though."

"Um, I might have an idea, if ya wanna try it", said Natsu. "I could take you to meet Cana. She helped me to help Happy find his voice, so she might be able to help you too."

When Lucy looked at him puzzled, he said "Happy used ta try and communicate just by knocks, which you saw last night, and then writing, but that just wore him out. Apparently, him moving physical objects is exhausting. Cana is a good friend who's into this kinda stuff, and she helped me work out how to hear him. Most of what he says is just annoying though."

Lucy watched as Natsu's head suddenly jerked sideways. "Oi, watch it buddy", growled Natsu, rubbing the pink locks at the side of his head. "Leave my hair alone. Just 'cause the truth hurts doesn't mean ya need to take it out on me ya furball!"

"So Happy's here?", asked Lucy looking around. She watched a few golden sparkles drift over towards her and felt a gentle tug on a long lock of hair that had come loose from her braid overnight.

A small giggle chimed in her ear and a high-pitched voice drawled mischievously, " _He liiiiiikes you…_ "

A blush pushed it's way onto Lucy's cheeks. "Wha… don't say that, stupid cat!" She rubbed her cheeks and looked over towards Natsu, who was looking at her in astonishment.

"You heard him!", he whispered, and then shouted, "You heard Happy! You're amazing Luce. I've never met anyone like you!" He pulled the cup out of her hand, placing it on the coffee table and bent to pull her to her feet, whirling her around in a circle while she blustered, making incoherent spluttering noises. He plonked them both down on the sofa again. Lucy was still blushing.

"Is… is that the sort of stuff he usually says?", she said, finally getting a hold of herself.

Natsu grinned at her. "Yeah, that's the sort of stuff. He's a poltergeist. He likes teasing people, it's part of his nature. I've never known him to do anything mean or malicious though. Mostly it's bad practical jokes."

"Oh", was all Lucy had to say. She hoped she wasn't going to walk out the front door anytime soon and get drenched by a precariously balanced bucket of water. "So, no one else can hear him?"

"Nope", said Natsu, sculling the last of his coffee. "Listen Luce, I have to go home to check on Grandeeney right now, but if you want, I could come back later this morning to pick you up and take you back to your car. I'll call Gajeel and see if he could take a look at it this morning. He can be a bit of an ass, but he's very fair with his prices; I know he wouldn't rip you off."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" said Lucy, putting her hand over her mouth. "You shouldn't have stayed here and left Grandeeney alone! Please, go straight home and apologise to her for me. Will she be okay?"

"Nah, she's used to it; when I'm out on an emergency call or rostered on, she's home alone. And she knows she can always call Levy if she's worried. I texted her last night to let her know I was staying." He rubbed the back of his neck a little self-consciously. "Um, yeah. Be prepared for a little teasing about me staying here overnight with you. She'll leave you alone I think, but anything I do is fair game." He grinned at Lucy. "I don't mind so much anyway, keeps her young, and keeps me on my toes."

Lucy looked at him over the top of her coffee cup. "What sort of job do you have that you need to go out on an emergency call. Are you a paramedic Natsu?"

"Not exactly, although I can respond as a paramedic in emergencies, just to get someone stabilised. I'm a full-time firefighter for the station in Hall's Gully. And when I'm not out on a call, I have my own handyman business here in Magnolia, or I have my ghost tour. Jack of all trades, that's me!"

Lucy swallowed, her eyes flicking to Natsu's tanned muscular arms. ' _A firefighter – well, that explains the muscles'_ , she thought weakly.

"How on earth do you have time to be a full-time firefighter _and_ a handyman?", she asked, struggling to understand how it worked.

"Ah, I do two 24-hour shifts a week back-to-back at the station", explained Natsu, and then seeing her wide-eyed look, he chuckled. "Not all of that is working, we're allowed to nap in the bunks at night, but we're on call. It also means I'm free the rest of the week, unless there's a huge emergency and they need extra manpower to cover it. So, did ya want me to come back and get ya Luce?"

Lucy thought for a moment, then nodded. "I'd like that. I really do need to get my car sorted out. Do you think Grandeeney would mind if I asked her some research questions later?" Natsu shook his head.

He grinned at her, pulling on his boots and checking his pockets for keys. "Nah, I think she'd love it."

Lucy looked at Natsu's face carefully. He seemed to be such an open person, with no hidden agenda. She still felt a little wary, but the way he had comforted her last night, without taking advantage of the situation in any way inspired a feeling of trust in her. She realised to her surprise, that she felt totally safe with him. She couldn't remember the last time that had happened.

"Um Natsu, if the offer was still open, do you think you could take me to see that place that we didn't get to see on the tour last night?"

"Caddock's Leap Lookout, you mean?" Lucy nodded.

Natsu rewarded her faith in him with one of his trademark toothy grins. "I'd love to."

The air around them sparked with static electricity, and a small voice cackled. " _He liiiiiikes you!"_

Both of them turned at precisely the same moment and yelled at the seemingly empty space behind the sofa, "Shut up, Happy!"

* * *

"So you want me to climb down there?", Lucy said incredulously. She guessed it was about a hundred-foot drop to the valley floor, but hard to judge due to the large tree ferns and eucalyptus trees blocking her view; that and the fact she wasn't game to get too get too close to the edge of the sandstone cliff to get a better view. She was all for getting more up close and personal with nature, but breaking her neck by falling over a cliff wasn't something on her to do list for today.

"We don't have to if you don't wanna", said Natsu with a cheerful grin. "It's totally up to you."

True to his word, Natsu had come back to collect her at Rose Cottage after going back home to check on Grandeeney. It had given Lucy a chance to take her dog Plue for a run and have a much-needed shower and breakfast. By the time Natsu returned mid-morning, Lucy was showered and dressed in jeans and a jumper, with boots and backpack ready at the front door of the little cottage. After letting him in, she hurried back up the hallway with her laptop, notes and a small wooden box, her sock covered feet sliding on the polished hardwood floor.

"Hey, settle down, where's the fire?" joked Natsu. "There's no rush Luce." He held up his hand and began pointing at his own fingers, ticking tasks for the day off. "Gajeel said he could take a quick look at your car when everyone meets at Fairytail tonight and give you a quote then. Grandeeney has invited you and Levy to afternoon tea so you can chat research stuff. So, we've still got about five hours to go to the leap and explore, until we need to be anywhere. You ready to roll?"

Lucy smiled and nodded. "Ready", she said. She was really looking forward to spending the day with Natsu. Something about his transparent enthusiasm for everything he did stirred butterflies in her stomach, and she was surprised at her enjoyment of his company. For a long time, solitude had been her preferred option, but now, she craved Natsu's company, and she had only known him for a day.

They walked out the cottage together, and Natsu handed her the spare helmet after she had carefully locked the door and walked over to his bike. He grinned at her over his shoulder before patting the fuel tank of his bike affectionately. "You're gonna have to hang on a bit tighter this morning Luce. I was easy on you last night, but this morning I'm gonna show you what this baby can really do".

He laughed at the apprehensive look she gave him before putting on her helmet. He swung his leg gracefully over the bike and put on his own helmet, waiting for her to get on. She shuffled onto the seat behind him and put her hands tentatively on his hips. As he gunned the engine and took off, she shrieked and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. She couldn't hear it over the engine, but she was sure he was laughing at her by the way she could feel his ribs shaking. She would have actually loved to look at the view, but he was going so much faster, and by the time she felt brave enough to open her eyes, they'd nearly arrived at their destination.

After parking the bike in the visitors carpark, Natsu retrieved a backpack from the compartment under the seat and pointed the way towards the path leading to the lookout.

They walked quietly through the mixture of trees, scribbly gums, wattle and lilly pillies, Lucy following closely behind Natsu as she breathed in the eucalyptus scented air in delight. Tiny silver eye wrens flitted across the path in front of them, letting out cheerful chirps as they searched for their next meal. Natsu suddenly stepped aside to let her move in front, and she gasped in astonishment.

In front of her was a chain link fence, which was the only barrier between her and a huge canyon, filled with trees far below. She could make out the thin snaking line of a creek far below, the sun reflecting off the surface of the water, and followed its path with her eye back towards the other side of the gorge. A thin silver ribbon of waterfall sparkled as it fell over the yellow sandstone cliffs, made even brighter by the late morning sun.

"So, whaddya think?" grinned Natsu. "Pretty good huh?"

"It's breathtaking", sighed Lucy. She moved to the edge of the fence, and placed her hands on it, testing its safety and strength, before leaning forward. "Whoa, that's a long way down."

"Yeah, it is", sighed Natsu. "You wouldn't believe how many tourists get themselves into trouble deciding to climb onto the other side of fences like this to take selfies."

He pointed to a spot not far away, where there was a gap in the trees. "That's where Caddock was meant to have jumped from the cliff, while he was trying to get away from the mounted police who were guarding the gold escort. Rode his horse right over the edge, taking the gold bullion from the coach with him, and was never found."

"Can we go take a closer look?" asked Lucy excitedly.

"As long as you promise not to get too close to the edge", said Natsu. "The sandstone over there is unsafe, you can see where it's damper than the other stone around it, because there's a natural spring nearby."

"I promise", said Lucy, taking her camera out of her backpack and then shrugging it back onto her shoulders.

She took lots of pictures, of the bush behind them, and the view of the gorge in front, being careful to stay well away from the edge.

"Say, Lucy. Are you scared of heights at all?"

Lucy looked at him cautiously, clicking the protective cap back over her camera lens and stashing it safely in her backpack. "Um, not really, but that doesn't mean I want to go jumping off cliffs anytime soon Natsu!"

Natsu scoffed. "Who said anythin' about jumpin'? Not something I'd recommend in my personal capacity as an employee of NSW Fire and Rescue", he grinned. "Nah, there's a cave that's a short way from here that was meant to be one of Caddock's hideouts; Gran told me about it a while ago, and I've already checked it out. There's about a thirty-foot drop down to the cave, and then about double that down to the valley floor; we could abseil down and climb back up or walk out. It's an easy drop, no dangerous overhangs. I've got enough abseiling equipment packed if ya want to do it, but no worries if you don't Luce."

She'd decided it couldn't hurt to take a look. Which was why she was now standing a few metres back from the cliff's edge, without the safety of a chain link fence, her heart beating fast as she watched Natsu nonchalantly standing right on the edge looking over. He seemed totally unconcerned about the fact that if he tipped forward just a little more, he'd be plummeting to his death.

Natsu turned back to look at her and noticed her nervous face. "Hey, Lucy", he said gently. "It's okay. This sort of stuff isn't for everyone. I'm just used to it because I do it all the time." He looked at his watch. "We've still got a few hours to spare before it's time to go back to Grandeeney's, so if you wanna…"

"I want to do it."

Natsu took in Lucy's expression carefully. "Are you sure?" he asked, taking in Lucy's crossed arms and suddenly defiant chin. "You know I wouldn't ever force you to do something you didn't want to Lucy."

Lucy nodded, biting her bottom lip. Ever since yesterday, that small risk-taking part of her seemed to be taking over. She wasn't entirely sure if it was a good thing. But now that she was away from home, interacting with other people who didn't know her, she realised how frightened and insular she had become, and she didn't like it. It was a bad habit. A habit she was sure she could break with a little effort.

"I know. It's just… I've been hiding for such a long time Natsu. I think it's time to push myself a little."

"By throwing yourself off a cliff?" he grinned.

She chuckled nervously. "I guess so."

He gave her one of those heart stopping sunny smiles. "Well, if we're gonna throw ourselves off a cliff today, let's do it safely huh?" He dropped his backpack on the ground, where it landed with a clunk, and pulled out a confusing series of ropes, harnesses and carabiners, along with two helmets. "I wasn't sure you'd be up for this today, but I thought better to be safe than sorry, you know?"

Lucy watched as Natsu set up an anchor point and quickly sorted ropes and harnesses. He handled the long ropes with a natural grace, flicking them over the cliff face with the practiced ease of someone who had done this many times before.

"Are you still sure you wanna do this? It's no problem if you don't Lucy. I won't think any less of you."

"Yes", she said, nodding her head determinedly. Natsu helped her step into the harness and set up the belay loop, connecting her to the rope. "So, I'm going to lower you down to the cave first, and then I'll follow, alright? The rope's connected to my harness with a belay device too, so I can make sure you don't go down too fast."

He gave her his gloves, which were a little large, and did one last safety check, making sure her harness and helmet were on correctly, and the carabiner connecting her to the rope was safely closed. He placed her hands on the rope, one behind her on her hip, the other in front.

"Alright Luce, all you gotta do is walk backwards."

Lucy gave a nervous giggle. "Just walk backwards huh."

"Yup. Easy as falling off a cliff."

Heart pounding, Lucy began shuffling backwards until her toes were right on the edge. She looked over her shoulder at the valley floor so far below and gave a nervous squeak.

"Eyes on me Lucy. Lean back. I got ya. I won't let you fall."

His voice was warm and encouraging, and she took a deep breath and leaned backwards. What was it about his voice that made her trust him so much? Natsu's arms flexed as he helped take the strain of her weight, and she took one step back, placing her foot flat on the vertical cliff.

"Atta girl Luce, you're doin' great! Just keep goin'."

She kept her eyes locked on Natsu's until his cheerful face was blocked by the cliff face, and she continued backing down, trying not to think about how high up she was until suddenly, there was an open space beneath her foot.

"Natsuuuuu! There's no more cliff. What do I do!" she called out, her heart pounding again.

"Just relax Luce. Let your feet drop, one at a time. I'm gonna lower you down now, okay? When you get to the cave floor, just swing in a little and stand up."

"Okay", Lucy called back shakily. She took her feet off the cliff one by one and clutched at the rope in front of her as she swung a little in mid-air as Natsu lowered her steadily. She looked above at the slender rope going over the top of the cliff, knowing it was all that was stopping her falling. She turned her head aside as dust drifted down from above and watched as the cliff face gave way to a dark opening in front of her.

It wasn't a huge opening, and it was only moments before one foot touched onto a hard surface and she sighed in relief. Once both feet were on solid rock, she called up to Natsu. "I'm down! Can you give me a little slack so I can move forward?" Soon she was stepping into the cave and looking around.

"Well done Lucy. See you there in a sec!"

"Okay!"

The cave was dark and smelt of damp. Water trickled down the sandstone walls, and small ferns grew in the cracks of the rock. The ceiling of the cave was high enough for her to stretch a hand up, with one finger almost able to touch to stone above her. A gust of wind swirled into the cave, making an eerie moaning sound, and suddenly the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. The sound of tumbling pebbles behind her had her turning around, just in time to see Natsu swing into the cave.

"You did awesome Luce!" he grinned. "That was amazing considering it was the first time you tried abseiling."

Lucy smiled back, a small blush heating her cheeks. "Thanks", she said. She moved further into the back of the cave, pulling her rope behind her, trying to see how far it went.

"It doesn't really stretch that far", explained Natsu, producing a small torch from his pocket. He flashed it into the dark corners, but the cave was pretty bare, apart from a couple of ancient beer cans. Lucy walked forwards, leaning down a little as the ceiling began to lower towards the back of the cave.

"If there was anything of his here, it's long gone. I've abseiled down this cliff a couple of times, and…Luce, are you okay?"

As soon as Lucy had touched the back wall of the cave, she had gone rigid, standing straight, her eyes wide. Natsu felt Happy yank his hair hard, his high-pitched voice screaming, "Get her out Natsu!"

Natsu leaned forward and yanked Lucy away from the wall. She was shivering, her lips blue, eyes staring. "Luce, Happy says it's time to go", he said grimly, pulling her towards the mouth of the cave. He put Lucy behind him and walked slowly backwards, his hand tight around her wrist. "What's goin' on Happy?" he growled in an undertone.

"She's a beacon", said Happy, whispering into Natsu's ear. "Her abilities are waking up, and she's drawing spirits to her. This one's angry."

"What do we do?" muttered Natsu, his hand still tight around Lucy's wrist. He could hear her panting behind him, her pulse racing under his fingers. He didn't know what had happened at the back of the cave, but she was terrified.

"You just need to get out of the cave as fast as you can", said Happy. "I don't think he'll follow."

"Alright". They were now at the mouth of the cave. Natsu turned Lucy towards him and gripped her shoulders, squeezing gently to get her attention. Her eyes were wide and terrified, looking at nothing, her skin pale.

"Luce, we're getting' outa here. I'm gonna drop down fast, and then you're gonna follow me. You don't have to do anything, I'll take your weight. Just hang tight for a few seconds until I get down, okay?" He wished he had time to set her up for a back carry so they could both go over at the same time, but Happy still seemed frantic for them to get moving. If he let her go down first in this unresponsive state, and something happened to him, he wasn't sure she would be able to slow her own descent. This would be the fastest way for him to get them both down to the bottom quickly and safely.

"Oka-ay", she whispered, her glassy eyes suddenly focusing on him. He gave her shoulders another squeeze and dropped over the side of the cliff in great bounds, landing at the bottom of the cliff twenty seconds later. He looked up just in time to hear Lucy's scream as she plummeted over the edge of the cliff.

"Lucy!", he hollered, bracing his feet against the cliff face as he struggled to get her descent under control. His palms burned against the friction of the rope, but he gripped tighter, until she stopped, dangling about fifteen feet above him.

"Lucy! Are you okay!?" he yelled, lowering her slowly. Her body was limp, a dead weight, and he speeded up her descent until she was on the ground beside him.

"Lucy", he said desperately, moving her fringe away from her pale face. He pushed the straps of her backpack off her arms and unclipped the ropes from her harness, moved them away so he could lay her gently down on her back, dipping his ear to her chest, to hear her rapidly beating heart. Her breaths were shallow, and her skin was cold and clammy. He placed her backpack under her legs, elevating them a little, and took off his jacket tucking it in around her to try and keep her warm. Suddenly, her eyes opened wide and she began coughing, so he quickly turned her on her side into the recovery position.

"You had me worried for a second there Luce", he said, rubbing her back comfortingly as she dry retched. She tried to sit up, and he helped, moving to sit behind her so she could lean on him. She turned and flung her arms around his neck, and he hugged her, murmuring softly. "It's gonna be okay. You're safe now. I'm not gonna let anythin' bad happen to you, Lucy."

"He pushed me Natsu", she said brokenly. "He pushed me off the cliff. He told me to get out, go away. I told him I was already leaving, and he pushed me." She unwound her arms from Natsu's neck, sitting back down, rubbing her chest with her hand. "It hurts."

"Can I see?" asked Natsu gently. She pulled her blue woollen jumper off over her head with a sharp intake of breath at the movement and unbuttoned the first few buttons of the flannelette shirt she was wearing. Just above her breasts blossomed a dark red mark, already purpling around the edges, about the size of a fist.

"Fuck Lucy", said Natsu gently. He placed his hand gently over the bruise. "Breathe in for me." Lucy took a halting breath inwards, and then breathed out slowly. "I can't feel anything moving, but that doesn't mean it's not cracked", he said carefully. He rummaged in his back pack and produced an instant cold pack, shaking it to activate it, and then placed it gently over her chest.

Happy appeared in front of her in a sparkle of light. "I'm sorry Lucy", he said in a small voice. "I wasn't strong enough to do anything. He was sad and angry and wanted to be in the dark, and at the moment, you're shining really brightly. He wouldn't listen to me. I think you were hurting him, without meaning to, so he pushed you away. He's still angry."

"What do you mean, I'm shining really brightly?" asked Lucy, still shivering a little, her hand clutching the ice pack over her chest as Natsu picked up his jacket and dropped it around her shoulders to keep her warm.

"Just what I meant", replied Happy, shimmering a little as he floated in the breeze. "You're like a psychic beacon. Your talent is waking up, and until you learn how to dial it down, you shine like a star. Any spirit will want to come and see you."

Suddenly both Happy and Lucy looked back up the cliff towards the cave. Lucy covered her ears.

"He's still yelling at me Natsu! He's really angry!" A shower of pebbles landed on them from above, then a larger rock crashed down, going through Happy's ethereal form, just missing Lucy's thigh.

"Fuck off asswipe! We're leaving okay!" yelled Natsu. Freeing himself from his harness and ropes, he picked up Lucy and carried her a good distance away from the base of the cliff, then went back to retrieve the backpacks, muttering angrily.

When he got back to Lucy, she was standing, still pale, her teeth chattering, but with a determined look on her face. "You said we either climb up or walk out didn't you? Climbing doesn't seem to be an option at the moment, so I guess we're walking." She held out her hand for her backpack, but Natsu shook his head.

"Nu uh. You're not carrying anything until we make sure your sternum's not cracked. I'm still not crazy about the idea of you walking at all yet."

Lucy did her best to smile at him, even though she was still shivering a little. "We've got lots to do Natsu, you said so yourself. But I'd like to add one more thing to the list."

"What's that", he said, eyeing her carefully, trying to gauge her readiness to walk up the winding path that would take them back up to the top of the cliff.

"I want to go meet Cana", she said. "The sooner we learn how to turn down the dimmer switch on my so called 'psychic beacon' the better."

* * *

 _Ah, I'm so sorry I've kept you waiting for so long! I had a lot of trouble with this chapter, based on the fact that Natsu is meant to be an expert rock climber, and I've never done it. Please excuse any mistakes I"ve made in describing their abseiling. I really did my best to research the topic, and I'm hoping it wasn't too far off the mark. So, apart from my questionable knowledge regarding throwing Natsu and Lucy off a cliff, tell me what you think?_


	5. The Wheel of Fortune

Natsu slowed down his already gentle pace again, his worries increasing. Lucy's rasping, shallow breaths behind him sounded loud in contrast to the stillness of the bush around them. They had walked along the meandering track away from the cliff face where Lucy had fallen and were beginning their climb back up and out of the canyon.

The sound of her terrified scream was still reverberating in Natsu's ears – if he were honest with himself, Lucy wasn't the only one that had been shaking after her confrontation with the ghost. He'd never heard of a ghost being able to cause physical harm before, and it had shaken him to his core. Happy was confused by it too; he had disappeared a few moments ago in a sparkle of light, having used up a lot of his limited energy in the confrontation with the ghost in the cave. He needed to get Lucy back up to the top of the canyon under their own steam; he needed to make sure she was okay.

He was second guessing his decision to let her walk. She seemed fine, apart from the darkening bruise against her breastbone, her vitals were good, but he was worrying more than he usually would. Especially seeing he was partially responsible, since it was his idea to take her down the cliff face in the first place. Not that he could have known about the ghost, having been there before and not picked up anything dangerous, but still… He stopped, turning to take a good look at her. Her face was sweaty, despite the chill in the air, her cheeks pink, and her breathing shallow.

This last part of the walking track was narrow and steep, with hundreds of rough-hewn sandstone steps stretching upwards in front of them, the edges covered in emerald green moss. This was one of the easier bushwalking paths, but the steps required a level of fitness. And if his concerns were realised, and her sternum was indeed fractured, the hard breaths she was taking right now were probably causing her a lot of pain.

He had given her ibuprofen from his small first aid kit, to help with the pain and swelling, but that and the ice pack could only do so much. His medical knowledge was limited to stabilising a patient, and only if he was first on the scene. And he was worried even more about the bruising possibly masking internal injuries. If she'd been hit hard enough to damage her sternum, that could mean heart and lung damage too. Dammit.

"Hey, Luce? We're gonna stop again for a little while, let you catch your breath."

Lucy sighed. "Natsu, we stopped ten minutes ago", she panted, still taking shallow breaths. "At this rate, we're never going to get to the top. You don't have to baby me. It's just a bruise, okay? I admit, it was a little scary, but I'm fine now. I can do this." She leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees as she caught her breath, and he picked up her smothered hiss of discomfort at the change in position.

It was obviously still hurting her to breathe deeply, and his apprehension crept up another notch. "I know you can Lucy. Just humour me, okay?" He guided her over to a large stone outcrop, which served as a smooth dry place to sit. "Here, drink some water. Small sips."

Lucy scrunched up her face in protest but took the water bottle. "So, do you mother hen all the girls you jump off cliffs with like this, or am I just lucky?" she asked, before taking a small sip of water.

"Only the one's that get punched by ghosts."

Lucy snorted, spilling a small dribble of water down her chin, which she caught with the back of her hand. He grinned at her response, masking his concern. "Actually you're the first one, so maybe? Unless it's for work, I usually go abseiling with a group of guys from Fairytail, the pub Levy and I told you about."

He took her wrist in his hand as he spoke, checking her pulse. It was a little rapid, but that could have been caused by walking up the steep incline. Her skin under his fingers skin wasn't cool or clammy. "Look at me for a second Luce."

She grudgingly turned to face him, and he examined her eyes carefully, his forefinger gently directing her chin, tilting her face out of the shadows. Her dark cinnamon eyes reflected glints of sunlight that filtered down to the forest floor. Good, her pupils weren't dilated. "You feelin' dizzy at all? Weak or sick? Any tingling in your hands or feet?" She shook her head, and Natsu breathed a sigh of relief. The fact that she still wasn't exhibiting any signs of going into shock or internal bleeding made it less likely that she was suffering any major injuries.

"I think you're doing okay, but I'm still taking you to emergency to get an x-ray after we get back to the bike. Nu-uh, non-negotiable Lucy", he said seriously as she began to protest. "I'll tell you what, if you come quietly to the hospital, I'll take you to meet Cana."

"You said you were going to do that anyway!" sputtered Lucy. Natsu grinned.

"Well, now you get the bonus plan – a side trip to the hospital."

"Fine", Lucy said, rolling her eyes, frowning at him. "You're fussing unnecessarily, you know that, right?" she said irritably.

Natsu looked at her wide-eyed. "Lucy, you were punched off a fucking cliff by a ghost!" he exclaimed, flinging his arms outwards, his voice rising. "Of course I'm making a goddamned fuss. In fact I don't think I'm actually fussing enough!" He held up his hand with his thumb and forefinger almost touching. "I was this close to getting you evacuated by an air ambulance!"

He watched Lucy flinch, hunching in on herself, as if to make herself a smaller target, and he toned down his body language, dropping down to sit beside her. He'd thought her reluctance was due to her natural shyness, not wanting to draw attention to herself, but this seemed to be something more.

"I just… don't like hospitals very much", she said in a small voice, her eyes lowered to the ground. She picked at minute pieces of non-existent fluff on the sleeve of Natsu's jacket that she was still wearing.

The penny dropped for Natsu and he wanted to kick himself. Of course she didn't. After being hospitalised by her father against her will in some weird mental ward, _anything_ that reminded her of that would be bound to freak her out.

"Lucy", Natsu said softly, "there's no need to be afraid. It's okay." He reached out for the fingers that were now twisting in the fabric of his jacket, the knuckles white. "It's only a small hospital, more of an outpatients clinic really – all the important cases go further down the mountain to the base hospital. They do have an x-ray machine though, and I have a buddy who works in radiology – hopefully she'll be able to get us in straight away if they're not busy." He bobbed his head down, trying to catch her gaze. "Luce, look at me please?"

Lucy raised her head - her eyes were wide, her bottom lip trembling. Her genuine expression of fear caught at Natsu, and a feeling of fierce protectiveness welled up inside him. He squeezed her hand gently. "I'll be there with you, okay? If you want, I'll hold your hand the whole time if it would make you more comfortable. The only time I'll have to let go is when they take the x-ray, but that's only for a few moments, and I'll be right outside the door."

Lucy bit her lip. "Okay", she sighed. "Let's get this over with."

Natsu helped pull her to her feet. "Come on Professor. It'll be fine, really."

Lucy snorted, dusting off the back of her pants with her other hand. "Again with the Professor joke. Keep saying it and it's gonna stick."

"Would you prefer Weirdo? 'Cause I could call you that too?"

Lucy wrinkled her nose in distaste. "How about my _actual_ name Natsu!" He grinned at her.

"Where's the fun in that? Besides, best friends have nicknames!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Natsu, you've only just met me. How can I be your best friend?" she snorted, but Natsu could detect wistfulness in the timbre of her voice. How long had it been since someone had looked after her, like a close friend would? Did she have someone like that in the city? Based on her initial nervousness meeting Levy, he was guessing no.

He squeezed her hand gently as they began walking slowly up the sandstone steps. "Yeah, but I can tell already that we're gonna be best friends Luce, so why not start now?" He grasped her hand gently. "We're gonna take it easy up these steps okay? They can be slippery."

"Um, Natsu?" inquired Lucy, stepping carefully on the slick stone. "What are we going to say at the hospital? About how I got injured, I mean."

"Hmm, that's a good question. Any sort of blunt force trauma could cause something like that. I'll think of somethin', and you just go along with it, okay?"

Lucy sighed, the fingers of her free hand rubbing tentatively over the vivid bruise hidden under Natsu's jacket. "I don't like lying to people, but…"

"Don't worry, I understand." He squeezed her hand again, helping her past a particularly slippery patch of moss. "I learned pretty fast to be cautious with who I told about Happy. Sometimes tryin' to explain and convince people is not worth the hassle."

Lucy pushed down the fear that was still spiking at the thought of going anywhere near a hospital, a fear that was finally understandable now that she'd remembered her past. She'd never had any logical reason for why any sort of medical clinic filled her with panic, but now… "Yeah, I think we have enough hassles to be getting on with at the moment."

* * *

Their trip to the outpatient's clinic ended up being a non-event. Natsu simply said she'd been injured while abseiling, which wasn't exactly a lie. The x-ray revealed no fractures, despite the darkly purpled skin on her chest, so the doctor on duty had given her a diagnosis of having a bruised sternum. They'd given her a list of symptoms to watch out for over the next few days, and had told her to keep taking over the counter anti-inflammatory medication as needed and avoid heavy lifting.

All in all, not too scary, especially since Natsu had been as good as his word and had held her hand the entire time, apart from when they'd taken the x-ray. She couldn't remember the last time she'd held someone's hand for that long. It was comforting; his palm was warm against hers, his fingers slightly roughened and textured, from work probably. The constant contact was… nice. Nevertheless, she breathed a huge sigh of relief as soon as they stepped through the glass sliding doors and back into the hospital car park where they'd left Natsu's bike.

"All right! I'm hungry!" grinned Natsu. "How 'bout we kill two birds with one stone and get takeaway coffee and pastry and take them with us to Cana. We'll get some for her too." He handed Lucy her helmet.

"So, what does Cana do?" asked Lucy, her ingrained politeness balking at the thought of turning up at Cana's workplace suddenly, even with gifts of coffee and pastry.

"She owns a shop. Don't worry, she'll be happy to meet ya, and it won't be a problem, her customers are just as flakey as she is." Somehow, Lucy didn't find this statement comforting.

* * *

Natsu parked his bike alongside the colourful shopfront. The windows were a riot of colour, filled with Tibetan prayer flags, colourful shirts and skirts, folded saris and embroidered cushions. The tiny brass bells strung across the doorway tinkled merrily in the chilly breeze, and a waft of incense drifted from within. Lucy sniffed. Sandalwood maybe? She read the sign above the doorway.

"The Wheel of Fortune?"

"Cana does tarot readings", replied Natsu easily, stowing their helmets under the seat of the bike and taking the cardboard holder containing the three takeaway coffees and cinnamon pastries out of Lucy's hands. "I think it's the name of a card. I don't know much about it really."

"It's a card in the major arcana", replied Lucy, "related to the four fixed signs in the zodiac - Leo, Taurus, Scorpio and Aquarius." Her eyes closed and her voice took on a sing song quality, the tone deep and melodious.

"The Wheel of Fortune turns evermore; life encompasses times of both good and bad, and the cycle is one that we cannot control. All are subject to its whims, and none on earth can avoid what is fated. Happiness should be enjoyed to the fullest, for what comes up must always go down. But reversely, when darkness reigns, the sun will eventually shine again."

She blinked, her eyes widening, and took a step backwards, a shaking hand rubbing over her heart.

"Lucy? You okay?" asked Natsu uncertainly.

"I don't… How do I know that?" Lucy asked. The deeper timbre was gone, replaced with her usual lilting tone, now tinged with uncertainty.

"The mind is a tricky thing – it can hold a lot that we don't understand or remember, especially one like yours", said a cheerful voice behind them. "I've been waiting for you."

A tall woman with dark auburn hair and olive skin lounged in the doorway of the shop, leaning against the frame. Despite the cool weather, she wore a blue short sleeved crop top and a long multicoloured skirt, made up of many overlapping layers of fabric, her feet bare.

Natsu regarded her suspiciously. "Cana, how'd you... Happy came and told you we were comin' didn't he?"

Cana laughed. "Aw, you're no fun, ruining my mysterious vibe", she said. "At least he has more manners than you Dragneel, turning up unannounced."

"I'm so sorry", stammered Lucy, ready to apologise for their rudeness.

"Nah, don't sweat it, I'm just teasing", grinned Cana. "But by the look of you, with your aura lighting up my shop front like it's New Year's Eve, it's time for a chat." She beckoned them both inside, then shut the door, turning the little sign on the doorway from 'open' to 'closed'. "I'll put on the kettle."

Natsu held up the paper bag from the bakery and the cardboard carrier holding three takeaway cups of coffee. "I brought provisions – am I forgiven now?" Cana leaned forward and pinched his cheek, then patted it as he screwed his face up.

"Aw, you're so cute, I could never stay mad at you 'lil Natsu", she crooned, then chuckled as he stuck his tongue out at her. "Come and sit out the back where it's comfy; I think this might take a while."

* * *

"Wait, wait, wait, hold the phone, let's back that truck up a bit", exclaimed Cana. "This ghost actually _hurt_ you?!" Lucy nodded.

They were sitting in a small room at the back of Cana's shop, where she did her tarot readings. The room had a cosy feel, decorated in warm reds, with lots of candles, fabric hangings and fairy lights. Cana was seated across from Lucy and Natsu in an overstuffed wing backed armchair that had seen better days, judging by the worn corduroy on the arms. Natsu sat next to Lucy on a two-seater sofa, the brown leather cracked but comfortable. The room was silent for a few moments, apart from the munching sounds of Natsu eating his second cinnamon pastry.

Cana looked troubled. "Then it wasn't a ghost. Not a regular spirit, anyways."

She turned to Natsu. "Did you notice anything Natsu?" Natsu sighed.

"Nope. Not a damned thing. Just Happy freakin' out – he was really upset, screamin' at me to get her outta there." He turned his gaze sorrowfully to Lucy. "I'm so sorry Luce. I never would'a taken you anywhere near that place if I'd sensed anything bad there. I've been there before, and there was just nothin'."

"Do you mean you see other ghosts, Natsu?" asked Lucy in surprise.

"Not exactly", smiled Natsu, shrugging his shoulders. "Sometimes I hear things, or smell things, but Happy's the only ghost I've ever really seen, and Cana said that was because he _wanted_ me to see him. We had to try really hard too, to make the connection. I heard him long before that though."

"Natsu's what you could call a 'sensitive' I guess", said Cana, still looking worriedly at Lucy. "He can pick up on things other people miss, and as he said, it seems to be limited to smell and hearing.

"So you didn't see him Natsu?" said Lucy slowly. "The ghost in the cave?" Natsu shook his head.

"But you did huh? he asked softly, reaching out to take her hand. "What did you see Lucy?"

Lucy bit her bottom lip. "As soon as I touched the back of the cave, I saw him", said Lucy. "He wasn't clear at first. It was like looking through clear water, a haze. He looked frightened. He was yelling, waving his arms at me, but I couldn't hear him at all, just see him." She swallowed, her eyes flicking backwards and forwards between Natsu and Cana. Natsu squeezed her hand.

"It's a safe space here Lucy", said Cana gently. "I'm not here to judge anything you say. And nothing should be able to harm you in here."

Lucy nodded, then closed her eyes, concentrating on her memory of the ghost in the cave. "At first, I couldn't hear him", she repeated. "Then he stepped forward and came into focus and all of a sudden, the noise was deafening, like someone had turned the volume knob all the way up. But the sound was in my head, not outside. Just yelling. Pure rage."

"What did he look like?" prompted Cana softly. "You said you could see him."

Lucy bit her lip, concentrating. "He… he had red hair. And his eyes were golden – they glowed like the sun. And he was tall. But he looked thin and ill, like those pictures you see of victims in holocaust camps – dressed in rags, all pale skin stretched over bone. His skin glowed too."

Lucy's hands trembled as she remembered. Natsu rubbed a comforting hand on her shoulders.

"It's okay Luce. Me and Cana are right here." Lucy nodded and took a deep breath, her eyes still closed.

"When you started dragging me backwards, Natsu, he changed. He followed us, like he'd switched from being frightened to wanting to cause fear. He clapped his hands together and there was a massive wave of light, almost like a bomb had gone off, but without sound. I could hear Happy trying to talk to him, but he didn't pay him any attention at all – he was totally focused on me. I could only just hear you Natsu, when you said you were going down the cliff first, and then I tried to speak to him, to tell him that I was leaving."

She gulped. "He… he said, 'Never come here again', and he pushed me, with the heel of his hand." Lucy's fingertips touched gently on her chest over the bruise. "The light, it was so bright, it hurt my eyes. But just before I fell, I saw darkness drifting out of the cave, like smoke."

Lucy opened her eyes. Natsu's face was close to hers, his eyes concerned, but calm. He smiled at her, not one of his over the top toothy grins; it was a relaxed smile, peaceful. She couldn't help but smile back. They both turned to look questioningly at Cana.

"Beats me", she shrugged. "I've never heard of anything like that before. A lot of the time ghosts are only here because they're attached to someone and have chosen to stay. A mother might stay to look after her child for instance, or a husband his wife."

She paused, taking a sip of her coffee. "And it's not like they're physically manifesting. It's more as a spiritual guide, a thought, a nudge in the right direction, small gifts of happy memories, like a song on the radio or directing you to find something precious you'd thought was lost."

"So, Happy was once a person?" asked Lucy. Cana shook her head, taking a large bite of her pastry.

"Nu-uh", she answered, swallowing her mouthful. "Poltergeists like Happy are beings of energy – an emotion left over from a major event that's become stable enough to exist on its own. That's why poltergeists are often negative beings; they're left behind after some horrible event."

She smiled at Natsu. "Happy's the only one I've ever met that has been created because something truly good happened. He really wanted to help Natsu when he was small. I guess Happy chose to keep him company because he was lonely, and he's never left." She shrugged, swallowing the last bite of pastry and dusting the crumbs off her fingers.

"But this being you saw… I'm totally out of my depth. Have you ever seen anything like him before?"

Lucy shook her head, cradling her now lukewarm coffee cup in her hands. "Not exactly." Her memory tugged a little, but then the thought was gone, before she could catch hold of it. "I've definitely never seen anything that frightened me that much, not that I can remember anyway." Natsu rubbed her back again, knowing she was referring to having her memories blocked.

"In some ways, I'm surprised", said Cana, regarding Lucy seriously. "I've never seen anyone with an aura like yours. Never."

Lucy nodded. "That's one of the reasons we've come to see you. I need to learn how to control… whatever this is", she said, gesturing to herself.

"Hmmm. I'm a simple tarot reader Lucy", explained Cana. "I wouldn't call myself an expert on this stuff." She shrugged. "The cards are my conduit, but really, I just help people help themselves. They're the ones that ask questions, and the cards answer them by giving me a story to tell. I just help guide them. I show them signposts, offer suggestions, because sometimes it's difficult to see the way forward in the maze when you're stuck in the middle."

"Stuck in a maze sounds fairly apt at the moment", chuckled Natsu.

"Cana, could you do a reading for me?" asked Lucy hesitantly.

Cana grinned easily. "Sure. Here, shuffle these for me."

She took a deck of cards out of a purple velvet pouch sitting on the side table next to her armchair and handed them to Lucy. A small shock of static electricity zapped between them, and Lucy rubbed her fingers.

"I've never done this before. How long do I have to shuffle them?" The cards were slightly larger than regular playing cards and felt a little awkward in her hands.

Cana smiled. "There's no wrong way Lucy. Just shuffle them until it feels like you're done. And think about what you want to ask."

"What I want to ask?"

"Sure. Like I said, tarot reading is a set of signposts – the cards can help me tell you about your past and present, and how it's affecting your journey. They can help me guide you to where you need to go, if you let them, but it helps to give them a starting point. You can either keep the question in your head, or say it out loud to me, either is fine. But remember, sometimes they will tell you what you _need_ to hear, not what you want."

"What do I want to ask?" muttered Lucy under her breath as she shuffled the cards a little clumsily. A question popped into her head. "How do I deal with all of this?" she said out loud, as she shuffled. Natsu squeezed her shoulder as she handed the cards back to Cana.

Cana dealt out ten cards, five in a cross shape, another resting across the centre card of the cross, and four off to the right side.

"Okay Lucy, seeing this is your first reading, I'll take this slow." She flipped the card in the centre underneath the one placed on top of it.

"Ten of Wands. Okay, this card is referring directly to you and your situation. See how this guy is carrying this huge bundle? And not easily either, it's a huge effort for him, his back is all bent over. You're carrying a huge weight Lucy. You're struggling to carry all that emotional baggage all by yourself. And you're not sure how to handle it. If you don't reach out to others for help, everything is going to fall." She turned over the card on top.

"Ten of Swords. Dammit, I hate this card." Lucy looked at her fearfully, and Cana smiled at her. "Don't worry kiddo. I'm just feeling for you at the moment." She sighed. "Lucy, you need to stop blaming yourself. Whatever happened in the past, and I'm feeling that it was majorly bad, was not your fault. These words that you call yourself in your head. You need to cut that shit out. It's done now, but you're still letting it affect you." She pointed at the card. "See, he's at rock bottom, been stabbed to the ground, but there's a light shining through the clouds. It's gonna be okay. You need to trust in yourself more." Cana turned over the card at the bottom of the cross.

"Five of Pentacles. Okay, this is referring to the base of your story. You had your world pulled out from under you sometime in the past. You were left alone, and life was really hard. I'm feeling that your parents were pulled away, maybe they died? Your mother died?" Lucy nodded. "I'm sorry Lucy. You felt like there was no support for you growing up. But see here?" said Cana, indicating the Church window on the card, "Support is there for you, you just have to reach out and grab it." Cana turned over the card on the left.

"Three of Swords." She took a deep breath. "Dammit Lucy, I've only just met you, but I feel like I really need to give you a hug. This is… I'm sorry."

Cana looked up just in time to see Natsu pull Lucy into a sideways embrace, rubbing her arm gently as she leaned her head on his shoulder, and she smiled approvingly, before taking a deep breath and examining the cards again carefully.

"This card refers to your past. A major betrayal. Loss, pain, tragedy, heartache. This is still affecting you. Even though this happened in the past, it's still confining you, causing you emotional distress. Am I correct?"

Cana lifted her head to watch tears roll slowly down Lucy's cheeks. "I have a feeling that it's to do with your father. That he somehow caused you pain, not through his death, but something he did." Cana reached out to a side table and grabbed a tissue and handed it to Lucy.

"Are you okay, do you need to take a break?" Lucy shook her head. "Alright, we'll keep going, but if you need me to stop, I will okay?" She moved to the top of the cross and flipped the card.

"Judgement. It looks like you're coming to a crossroads Lucy. You can continue on the path you were before, or you can embrace a change to find your true authentic self. You need to accept that all the pain that was in your past, all the scars, all the broken pieces, are the strongest parts of you, because you're still here. You're still here Lucy. If you accept your past, accept it as part of you, you'll be able to move forwards, on to better things." Cana turned the card on the right side of the cross.

"Two of Cups. Aw, that's a happy card."

"About damn time", muttered Natsu. He still had his arm around Lucy's shoulder, holding her hand in his other. Cana grinned at him.

"You said it Natsu. And that's pretty apt, considering I'm thinking that this card is _you_." She grinned even harder at Natsu and Lucy's questioning gaze and tapped the card on the table fondly.

"This card refers to an influence coming your way Lucy. Two of Cups is a card that represents trust, compassion and true partnership. It's not as intense as the Lover's card; it's a gentler passion that won't burn out. A balanced relationship where you're the two amigos who high five each other after every success and hug and support each other when things go south. It's the friend you've always wanted paired with the lover you didn't know you were looking for." Cana giggled at the blush that covered both their cheeks. "Gotcha pegged already, haven't I. Remember to invite me to the wedding."

"Cana!" protested Natsu. "Shut it!" Lucy squirmed in embarrassment. But she didn't let go of Natsu's hand.

Cana flipped over the card at the bottom of the vertical line of four. "Let's move things along shall we? Ace of Cups. That's you right now, Lucy, overflowing with emotions. The beginning of healing. A chance for new beginnings, new love, all that good shit. It's up to you to drink it though. The choice is yours." She flipped the card above it.

"The Star. Oh my goodness. Yes, I see it too." She smiled at Lucy. "This is how others see you right now. Everything is going to be okay. See how she's got one foot in the water and one on land? She's rebuilding herself – she has the resources to make it, both practical abilities and intuition. This is the card of amazing potential Lucy. It's okay to put that sadness down and accept friendship and hope. It's time to reach for the stars. People can see that you're gifted with a light that will fill their soul and shine gently, a generous spirit. You're gonna meet people that are drawn to you, who want to be your friend, and it's okay to accept that."

"Six of Cups. Happy childhood memories. There must have been someone who cared for you during your childhood. Someone you hope to reconnect with maybe. Someone from your past who wants to get in touch with you." Cana stroked the card softly, then looked up at Lucy. "This can also refer to embracing the joy of being a child and holding on to magical thoughts. I get the feeling that you don't cut loose much. You fear that people will think less of you if you let go of your pragmatic exterior; that you won't be taken seriously any longer. But you need to remember that there's strength in joy Lucy. You need to let a little silliness in your life. But you've already made friends with this fool sitting next to you, so I think you got that covered."

"Hey!" protested Natsu, and Lucy giggled.

"Last card. Death." She put up her hand at Lucy's intake of breath. "Death doesn't mean death, it means change! So breathe! It's okay!" She grinned at Lucy. "I really should make a poster and put that up in here; people always freak out when they see this card."

She tapped the card in question. "In this position, Death is referring to the final result of your question. Looks like change is inevitable kiddo. You've been stagnating, and the universe has decided that it's had enough. You don't get a say in this. You've got to release everything old, strip down to the bone and start again, and that can be really painful, I know. He's walking slowly, so if you prepare yourself, this change won't hurt as much as it could."

Cana looked at Lucy, who seemed a little at a loss. "Do you have any more questions? Is there anything I can explain more clearly to you?" Lucy nodded slowly.

"I'm supposed to leave the past behind, and embrace the future, is that right?"

Cana nodded. "Yup. Pretty much everything is pointing in that direction."

"I don't know how to do that", said Lucy, her voice shaking with emotion. "Until yesterday I'd forgotten everything, it was buried in my subconscious. Meeting Happy brought it all back. I'd forgotten my mother was a medium, forgotten my father sent me away, punished me for being who I was. How do I forgive that? How do I move forward?"

"I'm not saying you need to do it immediately", said Cana. "The cards are suggesting that you need to reach out to others. There are so many hints there that say you're gonna have people reaching out to you. With support, everything is easier. Isn't that right Natsu?"

"Definitely", said Natsu. "You've already got friends. There's me an' Levy, an' Grandeeney."

"And me", grinned Cana. "See, you're taking the cards' advice already."

"I've never learned how to be someone's friend", said Lucy softly. "I lost Aquarius. And I've never really let anyone close since."

"Maybe she's the person from the past you're meant to find again Lucy", suggested Cana.

"She's not a person", said Lucy. Cana's eyes widened.

"Wait, wait. You said your mother was a medium. Are you saying that Aquarius is a spirit? Who exactly _was_ your mother Lucy?"

Lucy sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Some parts of my memory are still a little hazy, especially regarding my mother. She was a medium called Layla Heartfilia, but that's…"

"You're Layla's daughter?" exploded Cana. "Layla Heartfilia had a daughter? Goddamit Lucy, it's like I'm meeting fucking royalty! She was really your mother?"

"Yes?" said Lucy hesitantly. She looked at Natsu, who shrugged, as baffled as she was.

Cana shook her head. "You don't understand. There's mediums advertised everywhere. You see them on tv, in magazines, in books, but most of them are charlatans, con artists, trading in people's grief", she said scornfully. "True mediums, who have real contact with the celestial spirit world are rare. Layla Heartfilia was one of the best." She gazed at Lucy in awe. "No wonder your aura is so bright."

"Do you think you could help me contact Aquarius again Cana?" asked Lucy hopefully. "You helped Natsu with Happy?"

Cana chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Have you ever tried meditating before?" Lucy shook her head. "Or scrying? That might work. Wait here."

She returned a moment later with a shallow black lacquered bowl and placed a hunk of pink crystal in the middle, then filled the bowl with water from a jug on the side table next to her.

"Scrying can help us to get in touch with our unconscious minds. I often use it when I'm struggling to find direction; it's a form of self-hypnosis really. If we try and shut down your conscious thoughts for a little while, you might be able to break the block that your mind has put up. It's already opened a little, I mean at the moment, you're lit up like a Christmas tree."

Lucy looked at her nervously. "I've never done anything like this before."

"Don't worry I'll guide you. And Natsu, I need you to be still and quiet okay? It's hard to concentrate when someone's wriggling like a hyper puppy next to you." Natsu went to move away, but Lucy grasped his hand.

"Please stay", Lucy said softly. "I feel safe when you're next to me." Natsu nodded, tucking his fingers around hers again, staying seated next to her.

"Okay, are you comfy?" asked Cana. Lucy nodded. Cana began speaking softly in a calm voice.

"Relax your eyes. Focus on the crystal in the centre of the bowl. Hold your intention in your mind. You want to find Aquarius. She wants to find you too. All you have to do is unlock the door. You are the key. Let your eyes soften. Relax. You're in a safe place. Natsu is beside you. Nothing can happen to you. Breathe deeply. Let images cross your mind. You've nothing to fear. You're searching for your friend. You want to find her. You miss her. Allow the thought of her to rise up in your chest."

"Aquarius…" said Lucy softly.

A yell like an aggrieved banshee filled the room and they all jumped.

"About time missy. Do you know how long I've been waiting for you? I've got better things to do with my time than to hang around waiting for you to finally unlock doors! Little brat!"

"Aquarius, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to forget", sobbed Lucy, tears pouring down her cheeks.

"Stop with the tears. I know it wasn't your fault." The voice softened and a blue light filled the room, along with a powerful smell of the ocean. "And I'm sorry I couldn't stop Leo earlier today. Call me when you need me Lucy".

"Aquarius, wait!" called Lucy. But she was gone.

* * *

 _Such a long delay on this chapter! Truth be told, my story changed from my original draft in the last chapter, and I needed to do some alterations to my original plot. And there was so much chatting in this chapter - I hope it's not too boring. Also, even though I do have some knowledge of tarot cards, I only use them to do readings for myself. They help me think and focus when I get stuck. Cana is doing a reading called a celtic cross - a very traditional tarot spread. These are my interpretations of the cards - they will probably differ from other peoples and that's okay. There are lots of people out there with way more knowledge than me. And at the end of the day, this is a fictional reading for a fanfic. Please let me know what you thought. And thanks for sticking with me after such a long wait. I know 'absence makes the heart grow fonder', but that's not necessarily true when you're waiting for the next chapter in a story! Cheers!_


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